What message are the activists trying to get across? | DW News

Protesters threw soup at the glass-protected “Mona Lisa” in the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday.

In a video of the stunt, two women can be seen splashing orange-colored soup on the artwork while one of them shouts: “What’s more important — art or the right to healthy, sustainable food? Our agricultural system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work.”

A spokesperson from the Louvre confirmed to DW that the painting, which is encased in bullet-proof glass, had not been damaged.

They added that the room housing the “Mona Lisa” had been reopened and everything at the museum had returned to normal.

The activists were from the French organization “Riposte Alimentaire” (Food Response), which issued a statement saying the protest aimed to highlight the need to protect the environment and sources of food.

The group called for a system to be put in place that gives people better access to healthy food while providing farmers with a decent income.

It comes as French farmers stage protests demanding better pay, simplified regulations, and protection against cheap imports. For days, angry farmers have been blocking roads with their tractors across the country, and some have pledged to converge on Paris on Monday.

New Prime Minister Gabriel Attal promised “decisions” would be made in the coming weeks to address farmers’ concerns.

00:00 Background
02:15 ‘Alice’, Spokesperson for ‘Riposte Alimentaire’

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