Just Stop Oil to stop provocative actions, including attacks on Dutch artworks

Just Stop Oil, the British climate activism group known for disruptive protests, will cease its direct action campaigns after April 26, following a series of high-profile actions, including those in the Netherlands. The group, which gained international attention by throwing soup at a Van Gogh painting in London’s National Gallery and defacing Stonehenge with maize flour, has also targeted Dutch art and heritage sites.

In October 2022, Just Stop Oil activists glued themselves to Johannes Vermeer’s iconic Girl with a Pearl Earring at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague. This protest, part of the group’s broader campaign against fossil fuel extraction, raised alarm in the Netherlands. The Museum Association warned that such actions not only threaten cultural heritage but also undermine public support for the environmental cause by endangering valuable artworks.

As Just Stop Oil announced the end of its direct action campaign, a spokesperson emphasized that while protests would stop, the group’s efforts to influence policy and continue legal battles would persist. “This is the end of soup on Van Goghs, maize on Stonehenge, and slow marches in the streets,” the spokesperson said.

Just Stop Oil, formed to pressure governments to stop new oil and gas exploration, claims significant victories in its fight. The group says its efforts have kept 4.4 billion barrels of oil in the ground and succeeded in declaring new oil and gas licenses illegal in the UK.

The group's tactics, particularly the soup-throwing protests targeting art in high-profile museums, have drawn widespread backlash. In the UK, activists threw tomato soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in October 2022, damaging the frame but leaving the paintings unharmed.

Two activists, Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland, were sentenced to prison for their roles in the protest. In response, Just Stop Oil organized another soup protest in 2024, just hours after the conviction, also targeting the National Gallery’s Van Gogh paintings. This action led to the arrest of three individuals but again caused no damage to the artwork.

As the direct action phase of the campaign allegedly comes to an end, Just Stop Oil leaders are shifting focus to legal challenges, continuing the fight against fossil fuel extraction through political and judicial means. Karsten Klein, Director of Public Affairs at Just Stop Oil, said, “We will continue to tell the truth in the courts and stand up for our political prisoners. This is not the end of civil resistance, but a shift in approach.”

The group’s final protest on April 26 will reportedly be less provocative, aimed at reducing arrests and encouraging broader participation. “It will be a demonstration that allows all climate activists to join in, with a reduced risk of confrontation with authorities,” a spokesperson noted.