In October 2022, two protesters with the group Just Stop Oil shocked the world by tossing tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s iconic “Sunflowers” in London’s National Gallery. “Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?” said one of them, Phoebe Plummer, moments after the two soup-throwers glued their hands to the wall.
The painting, safely behind glass, was unharmed. But the soup-throwers were ridiculed. Piers Morgan, the British media personality, called it an act of “childish, petty, pathetic vandalism.” Journalists and scientists warned that stunts like this would alienate people and undermine support for climate action. Just Stop Oil, however, didn’t change course. They spray-painted Stonehenge with orange powder, zip-tied themselves to soccer goalposts, and blocked rush-hour traffic in London, with hundreds getting arrested.
A new podcast series digs into what drove these activists to pull these shocking stunts — and whether they actually work. In 2023, Alessandra Ram and Samantha Oltman, two journalis... Read more
