Fury in Spain as climate activists destroy iconic 133-year-old painting

The actions of two climate activists have sparked international fury in Spain's capital, Madrid. The two female activists, from the Futuro Vegetal movement, were caught on video throwing red paint over a 133-year-old painting of Christopher Columbus at Madrid's Naval Museum on Sunday (October 12) - coinciding with a national holiday commemorating Spain's legacy.

A small crowd shouted at the two women - named as Victoria Domingo, 39, and Luna Lago, 29 - as they chucked the paint over José Garnelo's artwork, which depicts Columbus landing in the New World in 1492. The pair were then dragged away by security guards. They were reportedly arrested "for crimes of damage to historical heritage, aggravated damage, public disorder, resistance and disobedience, and criminal association", according to its statement on X (formerly Twitter). Futuro Vegetal claimed on Tuesday that police were "condemning" the two activists to hunger as they were not providing vegan food, according to the Daily Mail. The incident has left Garnelo's First Tribute to Christopher Columbus with "irreparable damage," according to museum officials.

The museum said its workers were forced to rush the restoration of the painting. Visitors were asked to leave the museum so that its staff could complete the job, which they were able to do in just a few hours.

Both women wore T-shirts embellished with the logo of Futuro Vegetal ("Plant Future").

In response to the attack, angry commenters wrote on X: "They should be in jail," and "Museums are an artifact of high-trust societies in that they expect people entering them to behave themselves and not destroy the art".

The two women are the same pair who stained Barcelona's iconic Sagrada Familia basilica with red dye in August. On that occasion, the duo chanted "climate justice" and accused the Spanish government of being "complicit" in the number of forest fires that ravaged the country throughout the summer. The women were arrested and fined €600 (£522) each.

In a social media post, Futuro Vegetal said: "The celebration of October 12 is the celebration of centuries of oppression, exploitation and the genocide of the indigenous population of Abya Yala [a phrase used to describe the indigenous peoples of the Americas]".

On the same day as the paint attack, 20 activists participated in a sit-in at the Reina Sofía Museum in the city. They sat in front of Guernica, Pablo Picasso's famous anti-war painting depicting the horrors of the Spanish Civil War in the town of the same name. The protesters, from the group Marea Palestina, held signs that read: "Stop genocide" in reference to the military action in Gaza. After 40 minutes, the group left the venue while chanting: "Long live free Palestine".

Last year, Futuro Vegetal made headlines after five activists were intercepted by security at Barcelona El-Prat Airport after attempting to glue themselves to the runway.

The protest formed part of a coordinated set of eco-demonstrations across Europe by Oil Kills, an activist group with links to Just Stop Oil in the UK.