Pro-Palestine activists involved in targeting Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece Motherhood at London’s National Gallery have been found guilty of criminal damage. The verdict follows an October 9, 2024, protest stunt in which activists covered the famous artwork with an image related to the conflict in Gaza.
At the time, two activists approached Picasso’s 1901 painting hanging in the gallery and taped a graphic poster over its protective glass cover while pouring red paint on the floor near the work of art.
The action was carried out by members of the civil resistance group Youth Demand with the aim of applying pressure in favor of an arms and trade embargo on Israel.
Video footage captured security staff rushing to intervene as the youth affixed the image, immediately pulling the poster down as physical confrontations ensued. One guard grabbed an activist by his shirt and jacket and rushed him toward the gallery’s exit.
As security forced him out, the activist chanted, “Free, free, Palestine!” Meanwhile, a second demonstrator sat on the floor near the base of the painting and poured red paint across the gallery floor. Amid the ensuing commotion in Room 43, the activists shouted statements criticizing government policy, notably, “The UK government is complicit in genocide.”
'The UK government is complicit in genocide'
The two activists issued statements via social media and group briefings explaining their opposition to UK government policy regarding the Gaza Strip.
They said the protest action was organized by Youth Demand to draw attention to the humanitarian situation in Gaza and to call for a halt to arms sales to the Jewish state.
Amid the ensuing commotion in Room 43, the activists shouted statements criticizing government policy, declaring that “The UK government is complicit in genocide.”
The targeted painting, Picasso's Motherhood, is a celebrated piece housed within the gallery. The protest action was organized by Youth Demand to draw attention to the humanitarian situation in Gaza and call for a halt to arms sales, with participants issuing statements via social media and group briefings explaining their opposition to government policy regarding the ongoing conflict.
Legal proceedings subsequently moved forward against the individuals involved in the gallery disruption, culminating in the recent guilty verdicts for criminal damage.