Eco-demonstrators fined for painting protest say da Vinci ‘agreed’ with them

Environmental protesters fined for taping themselves to the frame of a copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper said they believed the artist would have supported their actions.

Five Just Stop Oil (JSO) campaigners have been ordered to pay £486 each for criminal damage London City Magistrate’s Court, on the occasion of the demonstration in the village Royal Academy of Arts Art Piccadillycentral LondonJuly 5, 2022

District Judge William Nelson told the court that Jessica Agar, 22, Simon Bramwell, 50, Caspar Hughes, 51, Lucy Porter, 47, and Tristan Strange, 40, caused £180 worth of damage, while the center was closed for the day.

The painting, which was not damaged, depicts the scene where Jesus announced that one of his 12 apostles would betray him during a meal with them before he was crucified.

All five defendants taped their hands to the border of the painting, with Hughes previously admitting to spray-painting “No New Oil” on the wall below the work.

On Wednesday, after a two-day trial, District Judge Nelson sentenced them to the same sentence on the basis that each was a “participant” in Hughes’ additional act by jointly planning the protest.

He told London’s central court that the “main reason” for their protest was “to attract media attention, not to damage the artwork”.

However, he agreed with prosecutor Robert Simpson’s argument that the protesters were “reckless” because they knew damage to the frame would be a “by-product” of their actions.

After the sentencing, Bramwell told reporters that their convictions and fines would not prevent them from taking part in future protests because “the planet is f***ed up” and he believed da Vinci would have supported them.

He said: “I’m sure if Leonardo da Vinci was looking down on us, he’d agree 100% with what we’ve done.

“He was quoted as saying that ‘nature never breaks its laws.’ But we are breaking the laws of nature every day and as a result we are killing the planet.”

When asked if he was disappointed with the outcome of their case, he said: “I’m always disappointed because the law is failing people again Britainthe law fails the planet.

“As far as this particular case is concerned, we are doing what we believe we must do according to our conscience and according to sound science.

“At the same time, we have to take the hits – the law is not going to change overnight.

“As far as what we did with the judge, he was fair in his jurisdiction (but) we need the judiciary to start taking some big risks.

“We need them to start realizing that the laws in place in this country are held hostage by things like Big Oil and don’t protect everyone.”

Bramwell has previous convictions linked to the protests and when asked if the ongoing financial losses would deter him from taking part in future demonstrations, he told the PA news agency: “We can’t stop it.

“We must continue in the space of civil resistance to fight for the planet, fight for our children and fight for all species.

“What else do we have at this stage of the game? We are black, we are absolutely black.

“At this point this planet is headed for a terminal diagnosis, we must try to do everything we can to stop it.”

In court, the judge described their case as “unusual” because all the witnesses, including the defendants, were “credible” and gave “detailed” accounts of the vast amount of planning that went into their protest.

District Judge Nelson added that the defendants “made an effort to minimize the damage they could cause” by experimenting beforehand with gluing themselves to different types of wood and using soluble spray paint.

They also targeted the Royal Academy of Arts because it had fewer visitors than other galleries, which would minimize the risk of “things getting out of hand,” he said.

Outlining the reason for the terms of their sentences, the judge said: “I accept that the value of the damage if you take the sofa is only £180.

“It’s not a lot of money.

“But the cost of damage is not the only barometer by which to measure its significance.

“The gallery had to be closed for the day and the grounds cordoned off, and the repairs required proper, managed, thoughtful conservation work by experts to ensure that the intrinsic value of the painting remained intact.”

The activists were also previously accused of causing £539.40 worth of damage to a nearby sofa, but a judge found they were not responsible because CCTV footage showed they were “not around” during the protest.

Bramwell of Twyford, Berkshire; Hughes of Exeter, Devon; and Porter, of Malvern, Worcestershire, were present on the second day of their trial, and Agar, of Royston, Hertfordshire; and Strange of Swindon appeared via video link.

They said the aim of their gallery protest was to put pressure on the government to stop issuing new UK oil and gas licenses and encourage directors, staff and members of art institutions to join the JSO protests.

Da Vinci created The Last Supper in the 1490s, and the full-size RA copy was painted by one or more of his students.

The £3.6m RA copy, attributed to Giampietrino and Giovanni Antonio Boltrofio, is believed to be the most accurate record of the original and was written around 1515-20.