A 36-yr-old man was detained on Mon. after he attempted to break the protective glass around the Mona Lisa before smearing cake across it in a stunt reportedly motivated by his concerns over climate change. The painting was not damaged.
Videos on social media show him saying in French: "Think of the Earth [...] Artists tell you: think of the Earth. That's why I did this."
Activism, especially of this kind, is almost invariably unproductive. This event will only reaffirm the suspicion of many that left-wing radicals are attacking classical culture and sets back the cause of climate activism by years in terms of public support.
Political leaders have spent too long congratulating themselves for watered-down and piecemeal commitments to act on climate change. We no longer have the luxury of time, and anger is the most viable and effective tool against the injustice of this failure. The protest in the Louvre reflects the public outrage we should all feel at climate inaction.