The centuries-old painting by Johannes Vermeer was smeared by three activists in the Mauritshuis last week, but was not damaged thanks to a protective glass plate. Nevertheless, the public prosecutor said in court in The Hague on Wednesday that ‘cultural heritage has been attacked’. The penalty must send a ‘clear signal’. “This could have gone very wrong,” said the Public Prosecution Service.
The two men were tried via the so-called super-fast court. The Public Prosecution Service had demanded four months in prison, two of which were conditional. The judge imposed exactly half of that sentence on both men: two months in prison, one of which was suspended. A third activist – the man who stuck his hand to the back panel – objected to that process. He will therefore appear in court on Friday.
Wouter M., the activist who stuck his head, which was covered with red liquid, against the painting, said he was ‘pretty sure’ that he would not damage it because of the protective glass plate. M. had already checked beforehand whether the glass covered the entire painting, he stated in court. Therefore, he considered the risks of his action acceptable. He regrets that the frame and the back plate were damaged.
The prosecutor pointed out on Wednesday that the action could have ended differently. For example, the glass could have broken or visitors present could have reacted unpredictably. Last week, Vera Carasso, director of the Museum Association, already called the activists’ attitude ‘naive’: according to her there is a real chance of damage, even if there is glass in front of a painting.
Filmer magnified the action
Against a second suspect, Pieter G., the Public Prosecution Service also demanded a prison sentence of four months, two of which were conditional. He is said to have made the video footage of the attack, which circulated almost immediately on social media. “Without filming, this action would never have been able to reach the wider public,” said the Public Prosecution Service.
G. himself said he knew nothing about the plans of the other activists. He claimed he was shooting footage for a project. The lawyers for both men had asked for an acquittal.
Extra attention
Climate activists who glue themselves to artworks or block roads to draw attention to climate issues deliberately risk arrest. ‘Large fines, criminal charges and deprivation of liberty’ are all worth it, writes the German group Letzte Generation for example. website. The British and Original Branch of Extinction Rebellion emphasizes even that lawsuits generate extra attention for their message.
In the Netherlands, for climate activists who demonstrate in a disruptive way, it usually remains with fines issued on the spot or removal by the police. In recent years, indicted climate activists often got away without punishment. For example, the judge found that activists who had occupied an office of the ABP pension fund in Heerlen for hours last year did not deserve punishmentbecause removal by the police without arrests would have sufficed.
The situation is different in other countries. In the United Kingdom, for example, climate activists regularly disappear behind bars that a special aid organization has been set up for them: Rebels in Prison Support. For example, this group complained last month about British activists who sometimes detained for months pending their case. In Australia, an activist was killed last year sentenced to one year in prison for blocking a freight train carrying coal for hours.