The modern global community is witnessing the rise of radical eco-activist movements, each choosing to deliver their messages and spread their agendas in quite provocative ways. Unfortunately, many of them target humanity’s cultural heritage with acts of vandalism and protest, thus threatening the survival of Old Masters in the world’s top museums and galleries. One of the recent victims of eco-activist activity is the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Details of the Eco-Activist Attack at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum is one of the world’s best-known museums. It is currently in the top 20 list of museums with the largest number of visitors per year. This September, it became the target of attack for the Extinction Rebellion (XR) group, with several XR representatives entering the Museum’s territory in yellow boilersuits and masks on their faces.

The activists dispersed the yellow smoke from smoke bombs and chained themselves to the fence, demanding that the Museum terminate its partnership with ING Group. The XR group believes that the bank finances environmentally hazardous activities, so it is a direct contributor to the present-day pace of climate change.

The campaign ended with 33 XR protesters being detained. The police initially gave them an opportunity to continue their public protest in the central square of Amsterdam, but the participants refused that option, which led to their arrest for the violation of the Public Demonstrations Act.

Art Vandalism Is Gaining Momentum

XR is an international non-political eco-activist group that claims to be present in 90 countries and unify 980+ activist subgroups under the umbrella of its activity. They provide networking opportunities for people concerned with the climate crisis and train new recruits to perform non-violent yet disruptive acts of civil disobedience. One of the spheres of their public protest work is the attack on fine art institutions that they suspect of unethical collaborative partnerships.

The eco-activist attack at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is yet another scandalous story in the long list of eco-terrorist activities of this year. The XR group joined forces with the Youth Action for Climate Justice group in April 2024 to block London’s Science Museum because of its partnership with the coal-producing company Adani. Other audacious acts of protest that happened in 2024 include pouring soup at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre and theft of the new Banksy stencils from the streets of London in August.