At the British Museum, environmental activists from the group Just Stop Oil selected an ancient Greek statue of the goddess Demeter to bear their latest demonstration. In a bold move, they adorned the priceless artifact with a bright orange safety vest and placed a cartoon-style speech bubble next to it, declaring, “Just Stop Famine.”

The incident took place on Friday, October 25, when two activists reportedly approached the statue—dating back to 350–330 BC—and placed the vest on it. Though the museum confirmed no physical damage was done to the statue and that the exhibit remained open to the public, it emphasized the violation of guidelines. “This incident clearly breached our visitor policies and posed a risk to our collection,” a spokesperson for the British Museum told The Art Newspaper.

The stunt forms part of Just Stop Oil's broader campaign calling on the UK government to cease oil, gas, and coal extraction by 2030. Their statement cited potential catastrophic consequences for agriculture if climate change worsens, highlighting the risk of Atlantic circulation collapse, which could devastate food production in Europe.

In defense of their provocative approach, Just Stop Oil warned of severe famine as a possible consequence if fossil fuel burning continues. “Our rich nation won’t protect us from what’s coming. We can’t eat money,” one representative declared, referencing ongoing drought impacts across parts of Africa.

This protest follows other acts by Just Stop Oil, including vest placements on a Beatles statue in Liverpool and banners opened before Van Gogh paintings in the National Gallery. These demonstrations have attracted controversy, with many questioning the ethics of risking harm to cherished art and heritage pieces for political messaging.