Paris –
On Sunday, two climate activists threw soup at the glass protecting the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum in Paris and shouted slogans advocating a sustainable food system. This came amid protests by French farmers over several issues, including low wages.
In a video posted on social media, two women with “FOOD RIPOSTE” on their T-shirts climb through a security fence to approach the painting and throw soup at the glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. is shown.
“What is the most important thing?” they cried. “Art or the right to healthy, sustainable food?”
“Our agricultural system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work,” they added.
Later, Louvre staff were seen placing a black panel in front of the Mona Lisa, asking visitors to evacuate the room.
Paris police announced that two people had been arrested following the incident.
The ‘Food Riposte’ group said on its website that the French government was breaking its climate change commitments, and that the country’s He called for the introduction of a system equivalent to the country’s medical system through support. Decent income.
Angry French farmers have been using tractors to block roads and slow traffic across France for days, demanding better pay for their crops, less red tape and protection from cheap imports. Ta. They also dumped foul-smelling agricultural waste in front of the gates of government offices.
On Friday, the government announced a series of measures, which farmers claimed did not fully meet their demands. These include “significantly simplifying” certain technical procedures and phasing out diesel fuel taxes for agricultural vehicles.
Some farmers have been gathering in Paris since Monday, threatening to block major roads leading into the capital.
New Prime Minister Gabriel Attal visited a farm in the central Indre-et-Loire department on Sunday. He acknowledged that farmers are in a difficult position because “on the one hand we say, ‘We want quality,’ and on the other hand, we say, ‘We want lower prices.'”
“The important thing is to find short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions, because we need farmers,” he said.
Attal also said the government was considering “further” measures against what he called “unfair competition” with other countries that have different production rules and import food into France. .
He promised to make “separate decisions” in the coming weeks to address farmers’ concerns.
