It was on 18 November 2022 that the then 24-year-old Anne Klenge and 24-year-old Joachim Skahjem threw several buckets of orange paint at Gustav Vigeland’s statues in Vigelandsparken.
On Tuesday, the trial began in Oslo District Court once morest the two oil activists, who are accused of significant damage to cultural heritage. The trial spans two days.
Michel Forst, the UN’s special rapporteur for environmental campaigners, is concerned that the two now risk long prison terms.
– I am deeply concerned regarding the serious consequences that Kleng and Skahjem are facing for having participated in a peaceful environmental demonstration that might result in punishment, writes the UN expert in a letter to the Oslo District Court.
He points out that a central question in the case is whether the statues were damaged by the paint.
– Based on the evidence, it does not appear that the traces of paint can be considered to be “serious damage to property” which is the requirement for a demonstration to be considered violent or non-peaceful, he writes.
Price tag of NOK 30,000
The two activists deny criminal guilt in the case. The purpose of the action was never to damage the statues, lawyer Cecilie Nakstad points out to NTB. She defends the accused woman.
– The purpose was and is to sound the alarm regarding Norway’s continued extraction of fossil fuels. With this action, my client believes that they are defending basic human rights, she tells NTB.
The greasing was met with harsh criticism in several places, including from the political side. The paint was removed already the same day, and this work was estimated to cost around NOK 30,000.
– We were notified of the incident early on and quickly got to the spot to remove the paint, Jarle Strømodden, who is the head of the Vigeland Museum, tells NTB.
– The statues were affected. Granite is porous and has holes, so paint and all liquids soak in. But our conclusion was that fortunately there was no lasting damage to the statues, says Strømodden.
Da Vinci, Munch and van Gogh
In the wake of the smear campaign, the then 24-year-old man who is charged in the case caused a stir when he stated in NRK’s ”Debate” that violence might become a necessary tool among activists in the climate fight. The statements were met with condemnation by, among others, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre – and also by a number of environmental organisations.
The two activists were from the activist group Stop Oil Exploration. Activists from the same group tried in 2022 to glue themselves to the frame of the Munch painting “The Scream” at the National Museum.
Several similar actions once morest famous paintings have taken place elsewhere in Europe, most often in the form of the activists gluing themselves or throwing soup, cake or mashed potatoes. Among the works that have been reviewed are Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”, Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and “Girl with pearl earrings”. However, all the paintings were covered with glass, which “Scream” was too.
The shareholder group has also on several occasions sat in the roadway to stop traffic in large cities.
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2024-04-24 12:47:53
