Just Stop Oil Activists Banned from Protesting

Three Just Stop Oil activists, Mary Somerville, Stephen Simpson, and Phillipa Green, have been banned from protesting in London while awaiting trial for allegedly throwing Heinz soup on Vincent Van Gogh's paintings at the National Gallery. They face charges of damaging the frames of the artworks, specifically Sunflowers 1889 and Sunflowers 1888, during an incident on September 27, 2023. The judge at Southwark Crown Court released them on conditional bail but imposed a ban on protest activities within the M25 until their trial, scheduled for January 5, 2026. Their lawyer argued that the ban infringes on their right to protest, but the judge emphasized the need to separate lawful protest from criminal behavior. A pre-trial review is set for November 24, 2024. This case follows previous sentencing of other activists for similar actions against the same artworks in 2022.