Two environmental activists from the group This is Rigged covered in pink paint, Wednesday July 26, a portrait of King Charles III, exhibited at the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh. “The people are mightier than the lord” was stenciled onto the glass protecting Victoria Crowe’s artwork (made in 2018) around 3 p.m. local time. “If we want a future for our young people, the Scottish government must oppose all new oil and gas licenses”, claims on Twitter Ben Taylor, one of the authors of the degradation. The two activists also drew the This is Rigged logo under the British monarch’s chin. The activists then glued their hands to the ground in order to delay their evacuation.
One of the gallery’s representatives told The Independent that the room where the portrait is on display is temporarily closed to the public in order to “check that no work has been damaged”. “The rest of the gallery is open to visitors. For the moment, we are evaluating the impact, but there does not seem to be any sign of damage.
This is Rigged is not at its first attempt. The collective recently began a series of actions aimed at blocking major fuel suppliers in Scotland. “In order not to be fooled” by the fossil fuel industry, two of its activists climbed the Kelpies on July 23. These two sculptures of horses about 30 meters high are signed by the artist Andy Scott. For the moment, the group does not intend to stop there. “We will not stop our actions until the Scottish Government opposes any new oil or gas project”, assures This is Rigged on Twitter. Climate activists are also calling for a guarantee of “a fair and fully funded transition for those working in fossil fuels”.
