LONDON \u2014 Climate protesters across Europe have for months been gluing themselves to the frames of famous paintings<\/a> in a series of attention-grabbing stunts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Britain, activists have attached themselves to about half-a-dozen masterpieces including John Constable\u2019s \u201cThe Hay Wain.\u201d In Germany, protesters have stuck themselves to works including Rubens\u2019s \u201cMassacre of the Innocents,\u201d<\/a> which hangs in the Alte Pinakothek, in Munich. In Italy, works in the Uffizi, in Florence<\/a>, and at the Vatican Museums<\/a> have been targeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, protesters in London have found a new way to focus attention on their cause: throwing cans of tomato soup at a masterpiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At just after 11 a.m. on Friday, two members of Just Stop Oil<\/a>, a group that seeks to stop oil and gas extraction in Britain, entered room 43 of the National Gallery in London, opened two tins of Heinz cream of tomato soup, and threw them at Vincent van Gogh\u2019s \u201cSunflowers,\u201d one of the treasures of the museum\u2019s collection. It is one of six surviving images of sunflowers that van Gogh made in 1888 and 1889.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the gloppy orange liquid dripped down the glazing that was protecting the painting, the pair smeared their hands with glue and stuck themselves to the wall beneath the work. In videos of the incident posted online<\/a>, gallery visitors can be heard saying \u201cOh, my gosh!\u201d and calling for security; one of the activists delivers a speech in which they ask visitors whether they \u201care more concerned about the protection of a painting, or the protection of our planet and people?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Within minutes, the stunt grabbed attention worldwide, and many social media users expressed concern for the painting\u2019s condition. Yet the National Gallery said in an email statement that the work was unharmed aside from \u201csome minor damage to the frame.\u201d The activists had been arrested, the statement added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mel Carrington, a spokeswoman for Just Stop Oil, said in a telephone interview that the group\u2019s intention had been to generate publicity and to create debate around the climate crisis and the actions needed to stop it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Van Gogh\u2019s \u201cSunflowers\u201d had nothing to do with climate change, she said. It was simply \u201can iconic painting, by an iconic painter\u201d and an attack on it would generate headlines. But the choice of soup was more symbolic, Carrington said: In Britain, many householders were struggling to pay fuel and food bills because of soaring inflation, and some could not even afford to heat up a can of soup. The government should be helping ordinary people deal with \u201cthe cost of living crisis,\u201d rather than enabling fossil fuel extraction, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carrington said the activists had checked in advance that the work was glazed, so the soupy splattering would cause no damage and could simply be wiped away. And Just Stop Oil planned further actions, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n