Climate Protestors Deface Portrait of King Charles III in Scotland’s National Gallery

July 27, 2023

A portrait of King Charles III was vandalized by climate activists at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh on Wednesday, the Herald Scotland reported.

The protest was staged by two members of the climate action group This is Rigged. The activists spray-painted This is Rigged’s logo in neon pink across the king’s body, along with the phrase “the people are mightier than a lord.”

The quote was borrowed from the historic Highland Land League, who staged rent strikes and land occupations to secure rights for peasants being forced from their ancestral lands in the late 19th century.

“Why does the Scottish government think it’s acceptable to keep allowing new oil and gas projects to go ahead, to not even opposing them?” one of the two protesters stated as they glued their hands to the floor and sat in front of the portrait. “If we want a future—if the Scottish government want young people to have a future—they need to oppose all new oil and gas licenses.”

Following the protest, a gallery for modern portraits was closed for the remainder of the day. The rest of the institution, however, stayed open.

“At the moment we are assessing the impact but there appears to be no sign of damage to any actual artwork,” a spokesperson for the museum told the Herald Scotland.

The two protesters were arrested about an hour later.

The group has demanded that the Scottish government “oppose all new fossil fuel projects” and “create a clear and fully funded transition for our oil and gas workers,” as outlined on its website.

This Is Rigged has threatened to “shut down the oil and gas industry” until its demands are met.

Though King Charles III has long advocated for environmental causes and has spoken out about climate change, Scotland remains the biggest oil producer and the second-largest gas producer in Europe.