Last week, I noted that Italian police were quick to haul in climate change cultists who defaced Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain.
A little closer to home, two American cultists now face federal charges after vandalizing a display case containing a famous sculpture by Edgar Degas at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., last month.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a release that 53-year-olds Timothy Martin of North Carolina and Joanna Smith of New York were charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit. Both turned themselves in to authorities.The release states that a group called Declare Emergency, which conducts protests to oppose the continued use of fossil fuels, claimed credit for the incident.Two protesters were seen smearing red and black paint on the case and pedestal of “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” by Degas, a prominent 19th and 20th century French artist.“We need our leaders to take serious action, to tell us the truth about what is happening with the climate,” one protester was heard saying on a video recording of the incident.
After their antics, the two cultists sat in front of the defaced exhibit with the paint still on their hands and posed for photos. They apparently were featured on the website of one climate activist group, Declare Emergency, which has been organizing protests in the Washington, D.C. area.
Attorney information for the defendants wasn’t immediately available.Other protesters who were involved in the museum defacing haven’t been named or charged.If convicted, Martin and Smith face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.A few days before the museum incident, Declare Emergency shut down a section of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, causing heavy traffic jams around Washington, D.C.
And while some eco-extremists have declared war on Western art and culture, more than 1,500 climate protesters have been arrested by police in the Netherlands after blocking a major motorway in The Hague as part of an Extinction Rebellion stunt.
During the protest, organised by Extinction Rebellion, activists walked onto the A12 highway demanding an end to fossil fuel subsidies.Police fired water cannon to try to disperse the crowds – but many came prepared in raincoats and swimsuits.Most arrested protesters were released, but police said 40 would be prosecuted.Among those at Saturday’s protest were several Dutch celebrities, including actress Carice van Houten, known for playing Melisandre in TV series Game of Thrones. She was arrested but later allowed to return home, Dutch news agency ANP said.Extinction Rebellion accused police of using water cannon just 15 minutes after the start of the blockade – but police said they had asked the activists to leave and gave them a chance to do so before using the water cannon.The 1,579 people who refused to leave were then arrested.
None of these protests are garnering sympathy or support for their cause. What these protests demonstrate is that there are no sound arguments for their views on the Earth climate based on science or reason…hence, the hysteria and toddler-like antics.
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