Just Stop Oil protests: Bob Geldof says climate change protesters who threw soup over Van Gogh's Sunflowers were '100% right'

Four people have been arrested after chocolate cake was thrown on a waxwork of the King at Madame Tussauds in London

Activists with their hands glued to the wall under Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers after throwing tomato soup on the painting at the National Gallery in central London. Picture: Just Stop Oil /AFP

The Just Stop Oil activists bought tickets for the attraction just after 10.30am on Monday, stepped over the barrier and appeared to smear the model with cake.

They are calling for the UK Government to halt all new oil and gas licences and consents.

The protest came as Bob Geldof claimed the climate change protestors who threw soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in a separate demonstration were “1,000 per cent right”.

Speaking on the Madame Tussauds protest, Ellie McFadden, 20, from Glasgow, said: “We are here because we seek to protect our freedoms and rights, because we seek to protect this green and pleasant land which is the inheritance of us all.

“Last year, at COP26 in Glasgow, Queen Elizabeth said ‘the time for words has moved to the time for action’.”

Ms McFadden added: “The science is clear. The demand is simple – just stop new oil and gas. It’s a piece of cake.”

The King had planned to travel to Egypt for COP27, but has since abandoned plans to do so after it was claimed former prime minister Liz Truss warned him against attending.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed four people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

They said: “We responded quickly to an incident at Madame Tussauds after two people threw food at a statue at approximately 10.50am.

“Four people have been arrested for criminal damage related to this incident.”

Geldof, 71, meanwhile said it had been “clever” to deface the 1888 Sunflowers painting by Van Gogh while it was covered by a glass screen, because people would only view the act as annoying and, “annoying is quite good”.

Two women from the Just Stop Oil group have been charged in relation to the incident at the National Gallery earlier this month, which took place amid wider protests organised by Extinction Rebellion.

Geldof, a long-standing climate and humanitarian campaigner, told Radio Times: “The climate activists are 1,000 per cent right. And 1,000 per cent I support them.

“It’s offensive to destroy Van Gogh’s genius. That achieves nothing. But it was clever to throw it on the glass knowing it wouldn’t be destroyed.

“That’s just annoying. And annoying is quite good.

“I was driving to Hyde Park when the Extinction Rebellion people blocked it and I was f***ing furious.

“But I wasn’t railing against them. I was thinking ‘if I was 18, would I be there?’ and the answer is yes.

“Annoying people into policy change may not work. Does that mean I’m against their passion? Their anger? Their bravery? No.

“Would I put up with it? They’re not killing anyone. Climate change will.”

The Boomtown Rats frontman also addressed the issue of some Western activists being labelled as “white saviours” for their humanitarian work.

Asked whether he feels charities try too hard to steer clear of such criticism, he replied: “I don’t think most people give a f*** about that.

“It’s just a wormhole that people have disappeared down, where everything can be deconstructed. But it’s trite and silly, in my view.

“If someone is hurt and I personally see it, and I’m aware of it, I’ll do what I can to make them less hurt … black saviours, white saviours, green saviours, brown saviours, I’m with them all.”