The activist who had stuck a poster on the painting “Les Coquelicots” by Claude Monet at the Musée d’Orsay in order to denounce climate change, was released on Tuesday by the 17th correctional chamber of Paris.
“I can only welcome this decision, which seems fair to me, both in law, and which reminds us that the judge remains guardian of individual freedoms,” declared his lawyer Yves Patouillard.
On November 20, the prosecution requested the release of the activist.
On June 1, 2024, around 10:00 a.m., a young woman dressed in a white t-shirt on which was written “+ 4°C, hell”, hung a red sticker on the board, “about 50 centimeters long ” depicting an apocalyptic landscape, before sticking his hand to the wall.
The defendant, who was an activist within the Food Response movement (formerly Last Renovation), then gave a speech describing the “hell” that awaits the population in the event of inaction by governments in the face of climate change.
The scene, filmed live, was broadcast on the Riposte Alimentaire X account, which defends sustainable food and has been increasing its actions for several months.
-At the hearing on November 20, the young woman assured, however, that “if there had not been a window, the civil resistance action” would not have taken place.
“A criminal conviction would have constituted a disproportionate interference in the exercise of my client’s right to freedom of expression,” explained her lawyer.
The painting had been taken down and taken care of by a restorer who found no damage, while the young woman had been placed in police custody.
The Musée d’Orsay, which became a civil party, assessed its material damage at 27,788 euros during the hearing, due to the work to remove the poster from the protective glass and the closure of the exhibition. .
The activist had already been sentenced in 2023 to a two-month suspended prison sentence and a citizenship training period for similar acts.
