Environmental activist sticks protest poster to famous Monet painting in Paris

An environmental activist was arrested Saturday after she stuck a protest sign to a Monet painting at the famed Orsay Museum in Paris.

The activist with the group Food Riposte targeted Claude Monet's "Poppy Field" painting, affixing a sticker that covered about half of the artwork with an apocalyptic, futuristic vision of the same scene, according to The Associated Press.

The group said it's supposed to show what the field would look like in 2100, after it's been "ravaged by flames and drought" if more action isn't taken against climate change.

The museum, known in French as the Musée d'Orsay, is a top tourist destination and home to some of the world's most-loved Impressionist work.

It was not immediately clear whether the incident damaged the 151-year-old painting. The museum did not respond to the Associated Press' request for comment.

The woman was detained pending investigation, according to Paris police.

Food Riposte is one of several environmental activist groups that target famous artworks and stage protests across Europe in calls for action to the earth from further damage to the climate.

In January, two women with Food Riposte hurled soup at the glass protecting the "Mona Lisa" at the Louvre Museum in Paris and shouted slogans advocating for a sustainable food system.

Last month, at the British Library in London, an 82-year-old priest and an 85-year-old retired teacher were detained after they smashed the glass case containing an original copy of the Magna Carta. The pair of protesters from Just Stop Oil pounded on the case with a hammer and chisel.

Weeks later, six climate activists with the German-based group Last Generation, were arrested after they broke into the Munich airport and glued themselves to access routes leading to runways, officials said. It caused the airport to be temporarily closed and led to around 60 flight cancellations during a busy holiday weekend.

Last year, climate activists turned the water of Rome's iconic Trevi Fountain black in protest of the fossil fuel industry. Activist group Ultima Generazione said that eight people poured "vegetable charcoal" in the water as demonstrators pushed for an "immediate stop" to fossil fuel subsidies.

In:
• Paris
• Climate Change
• France

Lucia Suarez Sang

Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald.

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