Two people were arrested on Sunday morning at the entrance of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris for being suspected of attempting to damage classified property.
The pair were arrested around 11:30am local time and placed in police custody as part of a preliminary investigation.
When they were arrested, they were “in possession of a white liquid – glue and a viscous whitish mixture – and were wearing flocked ‘Food Response’ t-shirts,” Le Figaro reported. The duo was also allegedly “already known for previous acts of obstructing traffic”.
According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, however, “the alleged membership of the Food Response movement is not confirmed”.
The Food Response (formerly called Last Renovation) is an environmental movement which conducts actions primarily in Europe. Members linked to the movement have made headlines by splashing the Mona Lisa with soup in January and Monet’s Spring in February.
Environmental activists across Europe have been increasingly targeting artworks to raise awareness about climate change. Most recently, there have been protests at London Science Museum over a new sponsorship by Adani and at the British Museum over a deal with BP.
