Environmental protesters demanding the right to “healthy and sustainable food” have thrown soup at the glass-encased Mona Lisa in France.
Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th-century painting is one of the world’s most famous artworks, and is housed in the Louvre in central Paris.
The Louvre said the work was behind protective glass and was not damaged.
The video shows two female protesters wearing T-shirts that read “Food Counterattack” throwing liquids.
Then they stand in front of the painting and say: “What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food?
He adds, “Your farming system is bad. Our farmers are dying on the job.”
Before clearing the room, museum security personnel are seen placing a black screen in front of them.
A group called Riposte Alimentaire (Food Counterattack) claimed responsibility for the stunt.
A statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) said the protest was part of efforts to “integrate food into the general social protection system.”
It said the current model of food “is most dangerous and does not respect our fundamental right to food”.
The group called for citizens to be given a food card worth €150 (£128) each month to use on food.
The Louvre said members of Riposte Alimentaire, which it described as an environmental movement, sprayed pumpkin soup on the painting at about 10:00 local time (09:00 GMT), and there was no damage.
It said the Salle des États, where the work is displayed, was evacuated and reopened to visitors at 11:30 a.m. after cleaning.
“The museum will file a complaint,” it said.
French Culture Minister Rachida Daati said “no reason” could justify targeting the Mona Lisa.
“Like our legacy (paintings) is for future generations,” he said on X.
The capital of France has seen Protests by farmers in recent daysOn Friday they blocked major roads in and out of Paris, calling for an end to rising fuel costs and a simplification of regulations.
The Mona Lisa has been behind protective glass since the early 1950s, when a visitor poured acid on it and damaged it.
In 2019, the museum said it had installed a more transparent form of bulletproof glass to protect it.
In 2022, a Worker throws cake on paintingUrged people to “think about the Earth”.
there was a painting Stolen from the Louvre in 1911, which caused an international sensation. Vincenzo Perugia, an employee of the world’s most visited museum, hid in a cupboard overnight to get the painting.
It was recovered two years later when he tried to sell it to an antiques dealer in Florence, Italy.
