A Picasso painting at London’s National Gallery became the focus of a protest by pro-Palestinian activists on Wednesday as demonstrators called for the UK to impose an arms embargo on Israel.
They glued a poster over the glass protecting the 1901 Picasso Motherhood – La Maternité – replacing it with a picture of a Gazan mother and child taken by Palestinian journalist Ali Jadallah, whose pictures illustrate the psychological burden imposed by the continued conflict in Gaza.
In addition to the image, protesters poured red paint across the floor of Room 43, where it hangs—an apparent symbolic reference to the bloodshed in the region. The action took place shortly before noon at the gallery in Trafalgar Square and immediately drew the attention of the staff and security.
Youth Demand, the group who were credited for the action, explained that the protest was intended to pressure the UK government to halt arms sales to Israel. “Our government is arming Israel to commit a genocide against Palestinians and is letting killing without restraint in Lebanon,” a spokesperson for the group said. “A two-way arms embargo is the least Britain can do to stop displacement, destruction, and death.”
The protest comes a month after the same group painted the words “genocide conference” outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. National Gallery staff responded quickly to the incident. Three protesters were arrested after trying to glue the photo to the painting, and red paint was flung on the floor.
The gallery confirmed in a statement that Picasso’s Motherhood had not been damaged. “There has been no harm to any paintings,” a spokesperson said. The room affected was temporarily closed to the public while cleanup was in operation.
This latest protest reflects ongoing tensions over the UK’s involvement in arms sales about the Israel-Palestine conflict, as activists continue to target high-profile public spaces to make their message heard.