The climate advocacy of liberals has by now turned into a war characterized by frequent physical attacks on private property, and artwork anywhere in the world is not safe from such vandalism.
In the latest attack, two climate fanatics vandalized the “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” sculpture in Washington, D.C.
On Thursday morning, April 27, Joanna Smith and Tim Martin smeared the case enclosing Edgar Degas’ famous “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” sculpture at the National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, D.C., with red and black paint. As they vandalized the display at the gallery, other visitors stood by and made videos on their cell phones of the two disrupters, who sat by the artwork and told the spectators the reason behind what they did.
Joanna Smith and Tim Martin told the onlookers that they are both parents and want the leaders to take action to protect the climate and biodiversity for the sake of their children. Moments later, the two were arrested, dragged to their feet, and hauled off by the police.
Smith and Martin have been recognized as acting on behalf of the environmental activism group Declare Emergency, which organizes various kinds of acts, from demonstrations to outright vandalism, to demand government action for climate protection. After the incident at the NGA, Declare Emergency tweeted to its more than two thousand followers about Smith and Martin “making a statement” at the gallery without mentioning the attack on the sculpture.
The video clips showing the climate extremist duo smearing the glass casing of Degas’ piece of art and subsequently getting arrested by the police were viewed over a million times on Twitter. Thousands of comments condemning the attack on art followed the video post, with some expressing concern over the slack response of security that appears missing from the scene when needed.
Conservatives on the thread shared memes that condemned the “anti-American” and “brainwashed” liberal worldview responsible for such disruptions.
In response to the vandalism incident, the NGA stated to denounce the attack on its artwork. The statement says:
“We unequivocally denounce this physical attack on one of our works of art and will continue to share information as it becomes available.”
The Daily Signal reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an investigation into the incident. The story reported that since its launch two years ago, Declare Emergency activists have been arrested over 60 times. On its website, it describes itself as a campaign of “nonviolent civil resistance techniques” using which it disrupt the status quo and demands “meaningful action” from the government to address the “climate emergency.”