The climate activist group ‘This Is Rigged’ targeted a bust of Queen Victoria at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The activists, 30-year-old Sorcha Ní Mháirtín and 23-year-old Hannah Taylor smeared the marble sculpture with porridge and jam, symbolizing their stance against increasing food insecurity and the government’s perceived inaction.
The protest, which took place around midday on Sunday, saw the two women also spray-paint an expletive on the plinth of the bust. They then reportedly glued themselves to the plinth, further emphasizing their message. The act was part of a series of stunts by the group, which has been vocal about the need for supermarkets to reduce the price of baby formula and for the Scottish government to fund community food hubs.
“Police responded to a protest at Kelvingrove Art Gallery, arresting two women from ‘This is Rigged.’ They demand lower baby product prices and government-funded food hubs and oil worker transitions,” said a Police Scotland spokesperson.
“Starvation diseases like scurvy and rickets are rising. We reject a return to Victorian times. Food is a right; we’re fighting the failing systems,” stated Ms. Mháirtín from ‘This is Rigged.’
The museum was temporarily closed following the incident, and the section containing the bust remains shut until the extent of the damage can be assessed. Police Scotland confirmed that two women, aged 23 and 30, were arrested and charged following the protest. They have been released on an undertaking to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court at a later date.
Following an incident where climate activists defaced a Queen Victoria bust, Glasgow Life closed Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on police advice. The museum reopened, but the area housing the statue remains closed for damage assessment.
The activist group, gaining momentum, recently held a sit-in at Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse, signaling an escalation in their demonstrations.
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