Climate activists throw soup on Mona Lisa glass in France

Two climate activists threw some soup at the glass protecting the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum and shouted slogans calling for a sustainable food system. French farmers have protested in recent days across the country over low incomes and other problems.

Two women with the words “FOODRIPOSTE” written on their T-shirts were shown throwing soup at the glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece and passing under a security barrier to get closer to the painting, according to a video shared in social networks.

“What is the most important thing?” they exclaimed. “Art, or the right to healthy and sustainable food?”.

“Our agrarian system is sick. Our farmers die working“, they added.

In the video, Louvre employees were seen placing black panels in front of the Mona Lisa and asking visitors to evacuate the room.

On its website, the group “Food Riposte” claims that the French government is failing to meet its climate commitments and calls for the establishment of an equivalent to the French state-funded health system that gives people better access to healthy food and provides decent income to farmers.

Angry French farmers have used their tractors in recent days to cut roads and complicate traffic in the country, demanding better remuneration for their products, less bureaucracy and protection against cheap imports.

The government announced a series of measures on Friday that they said do not fully resolve their demands.

Some farmers threatened to gather in Paris starting Monday to block the main accesses to the capital.