Reposted from Museums and Heritage

A statue of the Greek goddess Demeter at the British Museum has been targeted by protest group Just Stop Oil. On Friday, members of the group added a ‘high-viz’ vest and a cardboard speech bubble to the statue which read “Just Stop Famine”. The group said the statue was chosen as Demeter was the Olympian goddess of harvest and agriculture. A statement from the group said the stunt was hoped to encourage the UK government to work with others to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030. A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said: “If you think famine only happens elsewhere, think again. Our rich nation status will not protect us from what is coming. A collapse in the Atlantic Ocean currents would destroy our ability to grow food, and you can’t eat money.” A British Museum spokesperson said the museum “respects other people’s right to express their views and allows peaceful protest onsite at the Museum as long as there is no risk to the collection, staff or visitors.” The spokesperson said the incident “clearly breached our visitor guidelines, and put objects at risk of harm”, but clarified there was no damage caused. Similar jackets and signs were added to the outdoor statues of The Beatles in Liverpool and Emmeline Pankhurt in Manchester by the group. The stunt marks the latest to target a specific artwork across the UK’s galleries and museums this year. After a series of protests at the National Gallery, it announced a ban on visitors bringing in liquids, with the exception of baby formula, expressed milk and prescription medicines.

See Original Post