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Just Stop Oil, the British environmental activist group known for attention-grabbing protests \u2014 including throwing tomato soup at famous artworks and spraying orange powder on Stonehenge \u2014 said it was ending such actions after a final protest in London next month.<\/p>\n
The group said on Thursday that it had achieved its primary goal of preventing new oil and gas licensing in Britain, and would soon be regrouping to plan its next phase of actions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe achieved what we set out to achieve,\u201d James Skeet, a spokesman for the group, said in an interview. <\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what to know.<\/p>\n
Just Stop Oil activists made headlines beginning in 2022 for: throwing tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh\u2019s \u201cSunflowers,\u201d<\/a> gluing themselves to John Constable\u2019s \u201cThe Hay Wain,\u201d<\/a> and smashing the glass that protected Diego Vel\u00e1zquez\u2019s \u201cRokeby Venus.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The group has said that it used the tactics to convey the urgency of the climate crisis, and draw attention to the political and social changes needed to tackle it. The group has noted that its actions have not damaged the masterpieces, and that the works were specifically chosen because they were protected by glass. But critics have argued that some of the works\u2019 centuries-old frames were harmed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A wave of similar protest actions began in Paris when a man smeared cake on the Mona Lisa<\/a>, and others occurred in Germany<\/a>, Italy<\/a> and the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n Just Stop Oil, which also disrupted sporting events<\/a>, awards shows<\/a> and live theater<\/a>, as well as spraying the monoliths at Stonehenge<\/a> with orange powder, grew out of Extinction Rebellion, a British environmentalist group that promoted nonviolent protests to push governments to address the climate crisis. <\/p>\n Politicians, museum managers and many others on social media have condemned the group\u2019s actions. In Britain, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called Just Stop Oil \u201ca disgrace,\u201d and Keir Starmer, the current leader, called the group \u201cpathetic\u201d after its Stonehenge protest. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Many of the activists who participated in the 2022 protests at the National Gallery in London were arrested, and some were sentenced to jail time. A judge sentenced two of the activists<\/a> who threw soup at the \u201cSunflowers\u201d painting to about two years in jail in 2024, and a protester who glued himself to the frame of another van Gogh work was sentenced to three weeks<\/a> in prison in 2022. The case of the activists involved in the Stonehenge protests is ongoing.<\/p>\n The activists who threw soup at \u201cSunflowers\u201d had their sentences upheld this month<\/a>. But six activists who were convicted of conspiracy for blocking a major highway near London in 2022 during a Just Stop Oil protest had their sentences reduced. <\/p>\n Mr. Skeet said 15 people were currently in prison related to Just Stop Oil protests and 16 others were facing sentencing in the coming months.<\/p>\n The museum campaign also had its defenders. They argued that the actions drew needed attention to the climate crisis. It also sparked a debate about whether vandalizing art should be a vehicle for protest<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Skeet, the group\u2019s spokesman, said Just Stop Oil was narrowly focused on pushing for an end to new oil and gas licensing in Britain. The Labour Party, which swept into power last year, committed to a ban on new licensees for oil and gas, and doubled down on its pledge<\/a> this month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The group\u2019s final action will take place in London on April 26, but the organization made clear on its website that it will be \u201ca lower-risk action, and we won\u2019t be pushing for arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Skeet added: \u201cThe idea around the strategy was to aim for a winnable demand and basically sort of prove the effectiveness of the tactics, essentially. We\u2019ve done so. So now it\u2019s on to moving on to the next thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy first priority is to take a break,\u201d Mr. Skeet said. He said the last few years have exhausted many of the members.<\/p>\n Mr. Skeet also said that the group\u2019s style of protesting has become increasingly criminalized since the organization first began. In 2023, a new law, the Public Order Act, gave the police in England and Wales more power to detain and charge protesters. Mr. Skeet said the group would need to \u201cassess the lay of the land\u201d before regrouping for further action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nOfficials condemned the stunts, and some activists got jail time.<\/h2>\n
They met their goal: a ban on new licenses for oil and gas.<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s next for the group?<\/h2>\n