Just Stop Oil Concludes Protests After Achieving Primary Goals
Just Stop Oil, the prominent British environmental activist organization recognized for its bold and often controversial protests, has announced that it will be halting its high-profile demonstrations following a final event scheduled in London next month. This decision comes as the group claims to have successfully reached its primary objective of halting new oil and gas licensing in the United Kingdom.
On Thursday, the group indicated that it would be taking a step back to regroup and strategize for its next phase of activism. James Skeet, a spokesperson for Just Stop Oil, expressed in an interview, “We achieved what we set out to achieve.”
The Activists’ Notorious Protests
Just Stop Oil first garnered widespread attention in 2022 with a series of eye-catching protests aimed at raising awareness about the climate crisis. Some of their most notable actions included:
- Throwing tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s iconic painting “Sunflowers.”
- Gluing themselves to the frame of John Constable’s celebrated piece “The Hay Wain.”
- Smashing the protective glass covering Diego Velázquez’s masterpiece “Rokeby Venus.”
The group has consistently maintained that these dramatic tactics were employed to underscore the urgent nature of the climate emergency and to advocate for the necessary political and social reforms to address it. They have also pointed out that their actions have not caused any damage to the artworks themselves, as all selected pieces were encased in protective glass. However, critics have raised concerns that the historic frames surrounding these masterpieces may have suffered damage during the protests.
Notably, during one of their demonstrations, Just Stop Oil activists not only splashed soup on Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” but also glued their hands to the wall of the National Gallery in London, seeking to capture public attention on the pressing issue of climate change.
