Paris museum says painting was target of attempted attack

A young woman tried to throw soup at a painting at the world-famous Musee d'Orsay in Paris this week, the museum confirmed Sunday, in a similar attack to others by climate activists in Europe.

The museum refused to say which painting was targeted but it is home to artwork by some of the most famous European artists including Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Edouard Manet and Claude Monet.

The museum told AFP it had filed a legal complaint for the "attempt to damage a piece of work" after the female activist was intercepted on Thursday, confirming a report in Le Parisien daily.

The Paris prosecutor's office said police had opened an investigation after the complaint.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, the woman had initially tried to approach the 1889 Van Gogh self-portrait at Saint-Remy before attempting to throw soup at a painting by Gauguin.

The daily reported she was wearing a "Just Stop Oil" T-shirt, as others have worn during similar stunts in recent weeks.

On Sunday two environmental activists glued themselves to metal poles supporting a dinosaur skeleton that was over 60 million years old at Berlin's Natural History Museum to protest Germany's climate policies.

And also Thursday, climate activists glued themselves to Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands.

Environmental activists splashed tomato soup on Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" at the National Gallery in London earlier this month, while others threw mashed potato over a Monet painting at the Barberini Museum in Germany.

As the attacks multiply, French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak has urged national museums to "redouble their vigilance".

German eco activists glue themselves to dinosaur exhibit
Berlin (AFP) Oct 30, 2022 - Two environmental activists glued themselves to an exhibition of a dinosaur skeleton at Berlin's Natural History Museum on Sunday to protest the German government's climate policies.

It was the latest such stunt by climate campaigners at a museum, after famous artworks were targeted in different ways across Europe.

In Berlin, two women wearing orange vests stuck themselves to metal poles supporting a dinosaur skeleton that was over 60 million years old, holding a banner that read: "What if the government doesn't have it under control?"

One of the women, Caris Connell, said she was scared of "forest fires, water shortages, famines, and war.

"Dinosaurs died out, because they could not withstand massive changes to the climate. That is also threatening us," added the 34-year-old.

The other activist, Solvig Schinkoethe, said as a mother of four, she feared the consequences of climate change.

"Peaceful resistance is the way we have chosen to protect our children from the deadly ignorance of governments," said the 42-year-old.

They called on the government in Berlin to take quick steps to cut emissions, such as by setting a speed limit on motorways and introducing more affordable public transport.

The museum said police brought the incident to an end in under an hour. There was property damage, and criminal charges have been filed, it said in a statement.

The activists were from the group Last Generation, which earlier this month splashed mashed potatoes on Claude Monet's $111-million "Les Meules" (Haystacks) at the Museum Barberini in Potsdam, Germany.

In recent weeks, climate activists have also glued themselves to Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" at a Dutch museum, and thrown soup at Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" at the National Gallery in London.

King Charles III to hold climate event on eve of COP27
London (AFP) Oct 30, 2022 - King Charles III announced Sunday he would hold a reception ahead of next month's COP27 climate summit after being advised not to attend by the government.

Buckingham Palace said the event on November 4 would gather over 200 "international business leaders, decision makers and NGOs" two days before the summit begins in Egypt.

The Palace said the event was to mark the end of the UK's hosting of COP26.

Charles has long backed environmental causes and spoke at the COP26 event in Glasgow in 2021.

But Downing Street said Friday that the monarch will not go to COP27 after the previous UK government led by Liz Truss advised him it was not the "right occasion" for him to attend.

British PM Rishi Sunak has also decided not to go, instead focusing on domestic issues.

The UK's COP26 Minister Alok Sharma told The Sunday Times that he was "pretty disappointed that the prime minister is not going", saying attendance would send a signal about the UK's "renewed commitment on this issue".

The Sunday Times reported earlier that Charles was expected to host an event with Sunak set to make a speech.

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Biden will attend COP27 climate summit: White House
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