Protesters have thrown mashed potatoes at a Monet, interrupted fancy galas and blocked commuter routes in efforts to prompt action on global warming.
The environmental activists who delayed the U.S. Open semifinal Thursday night by staging protests in Arthur Ashe Stadium join a long line of high-profile public disruptions aimed at drawing attention to the existential threat posed by climate change.
Activists have staged what many call “guerrilla protests” across the United States and Europe. The provocative actions have included throwing mashed potatoes at a glass-protected Monet painting in Germany and tossing liquids or gluing themselves to the glass or frames enclosing other iconic works like Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring” and Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers.”
While priceless art work has been a particularly attractive target, climate activists have also disrupted traffic in London and New York, blocked the entrance to this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, interrupted supplies at oil facilities in Germany and clashed with police in France.
