The conduct of numerous activists does not consistently align with the audience’s logic. Pouring paint into rivers serves as just one such behaviour. But social, ecological, or animal activists find themselves with no alternative as only controversial actions provoke a reaction and pique interest. These activists are willing to forego their freedom to highlight important issues.

Activists from a group called This Is Rigged are warning about the increasing food insecurity. Sorcha Ni Mhairtin and Hannah Taylor visited the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow to raise awareness about the issue. They targeted the bust of Queen Victoria of Hanover, who was the British monarch from 1837 to 1901.

"We refuse to be dragged back to the Victorian era. Diseases of starvation, including scurvy and rickets, are on the rise. Freedom begins with breakfast, and if you can't understand that, we'll shove it in your face. Food is a human right, and we call out the rotten systems under which we are suffering," explained Ni Mhairtin after the attack on the bust on 3 March.

The activists poured porridge over a bust of Queen Victoria and then covered her face with jam. However, even after doing so, the women did not feel satisfied. On the statue's pedestal, the This Is Rigged activists wrote a c-word. Following the incident, the activists stuck themselves to the floor.

However, the This Is Rigged protest didn’t stop there. Its activists also disrupted the World Athletics Championships in Glasgow by running onto the track with Palestinian flags. The incident took place on the same day as the attack on Queen Victoria.

The This Is Rigged activists announced they would be carrying out similar actions until their demands were met. They demand funding and implementation of a community food hub by the government in every 500 households in Scotland and a reduction in the price of baby formula in supermarkets to March 2021 levels.

"Around 11.55 am on Sunday, March 3 2024, police were called to a report of a protest and alleged vandalism within Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow. Two women, aged 23 and 30 years, have been arrested and charged following the incident. They have been released on an undertaking to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court at a later date," a spokesperson from Police Scotland told the Daily Mail.

"On Police Scotland's advice, we temporarily closed Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum earlier this afternoon after climate protestors covered a bust of Queen Victoria in porridge and jam and spray-painted an offensive word on the plinth below the statue. Two people were subsequently arrested.

"The museum has since reopened. However, the Expression Court, where the statue is displayed, will remain partially closed for the rest of the day while our conservation team works to ascertain the extent of any damage. The profanity has been removed," a Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum spokesperson commented.

There have been many comments on the internet about the incident. Most of them criticise the This Is Rigged action. "Misogynistic language and attacks on a woman in history. The far left are so hatefully bigoted against women and always has been," wrote one person. "Shame, she signed her own name on a statue. I think they call this tagging," added another X user.

Source: Daily Mail