King Charles III’s waxwork figure got pulled into Just Stop Oil’s latest wave of protests this week.
Revealing their ‘Just Stop Oil’ t-shirts under their jumpers, two demonstrators threw cake into the monarch’s face at the London branch of Madame Tussauds, while shouting that it is “time for action” on Monday.
In a short clip being shared on Twitter, they demanded that the government halt all new oil and gas licences after the government lifted the ban on fracking recently.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed four people had been arrested for criminal damage shortly afterwards.
Madame Tussauds then released a statement: “Our security team dealt with the incident quickly and we are working closely with the Metropolitan Police on this matter. The attraction remains open, with our Royal Family set closed temporarily.”
The King is actually known for being a dedicated environmentalist and was scheduled to speak at Cop27 until outgoing prime minister Liz Truss reportedly asked him not to. Now as the reigning constitutional monarch, he’s not supposed to show any kind of partisanship.
This protest is just one of several from Just Stop Oil over the last week.
The organisation made international headlines after two demonstrators threw tomato soup over Vincent Van Gogh’s famous painting, Sunflowers, in the National Gallery in London.
The painting is protected by glass and so was not damaged by the protesters, but there was an outcry at the form of demonstration.
This was alsoreplicated by environmentalists in Germany, who threw mashed potatoes at Claude Monet’s Les Meules (Haystacks) and glued themselves to the floor. They were from a different organisation, called Letzte Generation (Last Generation).
Over the last few days, Just Stop Oil demonstrators have also blocked traffic at the Abbey Road crossing, the site of The Beatles’ famous photograph, and thrown bright orange paint at the Scotland Yard headquarters.
Due the organised activism from Just Stop, more than 550 people have been arrested throughout October.