Anna Holland is a British climate activist. Born in northwest England, they[a] joined Just Stop Oil in May 2022 and met Phoebe Plummer at a Trafalgar Square roadblock that October. Later that month, the pair threw soup at a painting of Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh, prompting worldwide outrage and earning the pair queerphobic abuse. The reaction from their family prompted Holland to retreat from frontline activism. In September 2024, Christopher Hehir sentenced Holland to 20 months in prison for their part in the act, prompting criticism.
Anna Holland | |
|---|---|
| Born | London |
| Organisation | Just Stop Oil |
| Movement | Climate activism |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
Life and career
editHolland was born in northwest England and has a brother and two sisters. Their mother was the headteacher at a Catholic primary school and their brother trained with the Royal Air Force. While studying poetry at Newcastle University, their Instagram feed began reflecting the climate crisis and a friend told them they had been part of a Just Stop Oil blockade of an oil terminal, prompting them to attend a recruiting talk on campus. Its first speaker was Alex De Koning, who Holland began a relationship with several months afterward. A week after the talk, Holland was in London training to give similar talks. They were first arrested in August 2022.[2]
In October 2022, after coverage of Just Stop Oil began tapering off, Holland began developing ways to return to the headlines with other members and saw Phoebe Plummer at a Trafalgar Square roadblock, where they were struck by Plummer's confidence and appearance. A few days later, they called Plummer, who like Holland used singular they pronouns, to ask if they wanted in on a top-secret plan they had devised. The pair visited the National Gallery in London on 13 and 14 October, with their first visit comprising an examination of the venue's security protocols.[2] On their second, they threw Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup at the painting and Plummer demanded to know whether art was worth more than life, food, and justice.[3] Holland had rehearsed a speech as well, but was unable to deliver it due to Plummer going offscript and the guards clearing the gallery too quickly.[2]
The protest caused worldwide outrage, though some were later assuaged by the fact that the painting was behind glass and was itself unharmed.[4] The pair received significant queerphobic abuse from social media and right-wing newspapers following the incident, though their actions inspired several subsequent climate activists to throw food at paintings around the world.[5] The pair were arrested and charged with criminal damage and aggravated trespass and were released on bail,[6] following which they took the tube to a safe house still wearing their prison uniforms.[2] While there, they called their mother to tell her the news, only to find that she had found out from a reporter who had knocked on their neighbours' doors. The reaction from their family prompted Holland to retreat to backroom fundraising, and neither parent spoke to Holland until given reassurances that they would not reoffend.[2]
Plummer and Holland faced a jury trial for their actions in July 2024 at Southwark Crown Court, at which Holland was represented by Raj Chada. They faced Judge Christopher Hehir, who dismissed several of Chada's defenses and forbade the pair from discussing climate change or trying to justify their actions, allowing them only to argue that they were not knowingly reckless at the time. He also repeatedly reminded the jury to disregard the defendants' reasoning and to not return a perverse verdict. They took just over two hours to return a guilty verdict, prompting Hehir to warn the pair to expect jail time.[7] In September 2024, in spite of an open letter coordinated by Greenpeace and Liberate Tate imploring him to do otherwise,[8] Hehir sentenced Holland to 20 months in prison.[2] His sentence was criticised by George Monbiot[9] and Nadya Tolokonnikova,[10] though Celia Walden was less sympathetic.[11]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Just Stop Oil Activists Sentenced for Attack on Van Gogh Painting". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "The climate protesters who threw soup at a van Gogh painting. (And why they won't stop.)". POLITICO. 2024-10-02. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
- ^ Kirk, Tristan (2024-09-27). "Just Stop Oil eco-activists jailed for throwing soup at Van Gogh's Sunflowers". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
- ^ Whitworth, Damian (2024-07-29). "'We're not criminals': what Just Stop Oil's poster girls told me". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
- ^ Wakefield, Lily (2022-12-29). "Climate activist who threw soup at Van Gogh urges LGBTQ+ people to take stand". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Davies-Evitt, Dora (2022-10-14). "St Mary's Ascot alumni charged with Criminal Damage for Van Gogh soup stunt". Tatler. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
- ^ "The climate protesters who threw soup at a van Gogh painting. (And why they won't stop.)". POLITICO. 2024-10-02. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
- ^ Gayle, Damien (2024-09-26). "Artists plead for activists who threw soup on a Van Gogh to be spared jail". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Monbiot, George (2024-10-01). "As the waters rise, a two-year sentence for throwing soup. That's the farcical reality of British justice". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Tolokonnikova, Nadya (2024-10-03). "Van Gogh is turning in his grave at the harsh Just Stop Oil sentence. I know, because I spoke to him". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ Walden, Celia (2024-09-30). "Soup-throwing protests only happen because we indulge Just Stop Oil's moral toddlers". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-10-04.