Riposte Alimentaire activists arrested after targeting the Louvre
Political activism has played a significant part in Parisian society since the advent of time. From the anti-royalist French revolution to the student protests of Mai 1968, the cultural fabric of the city has often been storied by protests and activism. The latest group contributing to the history of protest in France are Riposte Alimentaire, who recently targeted the Louvre gallery.
Members of the group, which was set up to bring awareness to food security and class inequality, were arrested earlier this week following a targeted protest at the world-renowned museum. Activists had caused a scene by putting stickers on the walls of the gallery which read “Résister est vital” (Resistance is vital), before being arrested by French police.
The protests specifically targeted a painting by Eugène Delacroix which was originally created to celebrate the 1830 July Revolution, which saw the overthrow of King Charles X – otherwise known as the ‘Bourbon King’. It is thought that Riposte Alimentaire targeted this work specifically due to its connotations of revolution and triumph over oppressive authority figures.
On May 8th, activists entered the Louvre, plastering slogans on the wall next to Delacroix’s work, and chanting “sécurité sociale de l’alimentation durable” (“social security for sustainable food”) with raised fists. Following their arrest, the Louvre released a brief statement noting that the painting itself was not damaged in any way. Delacroix’s work, entitled Liberty Leading the People, has only recently returned to the museum, following an extensive renovation process which removed multiple layers of varnish that had yellowed over the years.
This is not the first time activists have targeted notable works of art. Last year, the same group threw canned soup over the glass window which protects the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. That protest evoked memories of when Just Stop Oil threw soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the National Gallery in London back in 2022.
Last week, members of Riposte Alimentaire set their sights on Versailles’s Hall of Mirrors, which they threw orange powder at. Reportedly, the group had targeted Versailles due to its connotations with the French Revolution and fighting against oppressive systems of governance.
Following the Louvre protest, Riposte Alimentaire shared their reasoning on social media, writing, “Riposte Alimentaire demands social security for sustainable food, based on the 1946 Social Security model. The right to food is recognised by international law and must be respected in practice, for democratic and sustainable food”.
