Jack and Spike on climate activists throwing soup at the ‘Mona Lisa’
Feb 3, 2024, 7:14 AM
Two climate activists hurled soup Sunday at the glass protecting the “Mona Lisa” at the Louvre Museum in Paris and shouted slogans advocating for a sustainable food system.
In a video posted on social media, two women with the words “FOOD RIPOSTE” written on their T-shirts could be seen passing under a security barrier to get closer to the painting and throwing soup at the glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece.
“What’s the most important thing?” they shouted. “Art, or right to a healthy and sustainable food?”
“Our farming system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work,” they added.
The Louvre employees could then be seen putting black panels in front of the Mona Lisa and asking visitors to evacuate the room.
Paris police said that two people were arrested following the incident.
On its website, the Food Riposte group said the French government is breaking its climate commitments and called for the equivalent of the country’s state-sponsored health care system to be put in place to give people better access to healthy food while providing farmers a decent income.
Angry French farmers have been using their tractors for days to set up road blockades and slow traffic across France to seek better remuneration for their produce, less red tape and protection against cheap imports. They also dumped stinky agricultural waste at the gates of government offices.
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Jack and Spike speak out about the news story
During a recent digital-exclusive show, Jack Stine and Spike O’Neill of The Jack and Spike Show talked about the story.
They weren’t impressed with the protest or some of the reactions to the protest.
“When people are calling for these kids to be be killed because they threw soup at the ‘Mona Lisa’ … First off, Clam Dip, reel your gears in. Nothing’s getting hurt here, especially the Mona Lisa,” Spike said, referencing that the painting is perpetually protected by glass and was never in real danger.
Jack wasn’t impressed by the stunt either.
“(The painting) is totally protected. (The gesture) is basically useless they know it I know it. Everybody knows it,” Jack said. “The issue here is that the reason that they do this is because the guardian picks it up and then some conservative podcaster picks it up and then what basically is just kind of outrage fuel for people to get mad.”
And they were just getting started. Click on the video above to watch more and make sure you subscribe to our new Jack & Spike Show YouTube channel.
Contributing: The Associated Press; Steve Coogan, MyNorthwest
