Protesters Throw Pumpkin Soup on the Mona Lisa at the Louvre

The women immediately began speaking to everyone and anyone in the Louvre at the time, explaining that they were there in protest. The entire act and speech were caught on camera, and now, like they wanted, it’s all over the news. 

But fortunately, the painting was protected within a glass case, so it was completely unharmed. The Louvre reported that the vandalism occurred at about 10:00 AM, and by 11:30 AM, they had the whole mess cleaned up, so museum-goers could once again see the world-famous painting.

Instead, it seems that they chose the Mona Lisa as their target, even though it was covered in glass, to make a statement and have the entire world see it.

It was clear that one of the women was wearing a t-shirt that read “Riposte Alimentaire,” meaning “Food Response.” Many originally thought that the slogan on the t-shirt signified that the protesters were making a point about climate change, but that’s not quite right.

One of the protestors shouted, “What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food? Your agricultural system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work.”

Essentially, farmers in France, who supply much of Europe with fresh produce, are fighting back against the government. From shrinking incomes to additional regulations, rising fuel costs, and horrific working conditions, they are simply fed up with the current state of the agricultural system.

And while they have been getting national attention for their efforts, the French government hasn’t made any significant changes to the current system. Arnaud Lepoil, a member of the FNSEA union, explained in a statement, “The prime minister has given us nibbles, and now we’d like him to work a bit harder and give us more.”

But it’s now become clear that she was referring to the 36-year old farmer who died when a car pushed through the barrier of one of the protests. The farmer’s daughter had to be rushed to the hospital after the accident, and sadly, she passed away shortly thereafter.

French resident Jordan Bardella told the press, “This is the France of the forgotten. The fight for agriculture is also the fight against rural effacement, the cry of French people who do not want to die.”

While no one knows what the future holds, it appears that the situation in France is likely to get worse before it gets better. And it probably won’t improve until the French government decides to change the current agricultural system.

It may come as a surprise to learn that the reason why the Mona Lisa is covered in glass is that it has been attacked twice, once in the 1950s and again in 2022. It was even stolen once, over 100 years ago. 

They want everyone to know that while the world was upset about the possibility of the painting being ruined, the entire agricultural industry of the country is in turmoil. Now, they hope, people will start to care about that, too.