(Image source, Getty Images)
Two climate activists, Louis McKechnie and Emily Brocklebank, were found guilty of causing criminal damage to a Vincent Van Gogh painting at the Courtauld Gallery in London. On June 30, McKechnie and Brocklebank glued themselves to the frame of Peach Trees in Blossom, causing approximately $2,800 worth of damage to the 18th century frame.
(Image source, Merseyside Police)
District Judge Neeta Minhas stated that the frame, which is hundreds of years old, has been permanently damaged and cannot be returned to its original state. She also noted that the painting has significant historical and artistic value, and the damage caused was not minor.
McKechnie was sentenced to three weeks in prison, while Brocklebank received a suspended sentence of 21 days and was placed under an electronically monitored curfew for six weeks. A third activist, Xavier Gonzales-Trimmer, was fined for failing to appear in court for an earlier hearing, but the charge of distracting guards was dropped. These events are part of a series of protests by climate activists in recent weeks.
