Just Stop Oil climate protesters ignite anger as they indulge in a 19th-century painting LOOM

Climate protesters sparked outrage after gluing themselves to the frame of a 19th-century painting in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and spray-painting their logo on the walls and floor of the building.

Protesters from the group Just Stop Oil, which opposes new oil and gas extraction, have attached themselves to Horatio McCulloch’s My Heart Is In The Highlands.

The women say they do not intend to damage the painting itself, but will not move. One sits on a camp chair while another stands on the other side of the artwork.

Just Stop Oil, which has previously held protests at oil terminals and the British government offices in Edinburgh, said it called on art institutions to join the group in ‘civilian resistance’ to climate change.

After the protesters glued themselves to the painting, the area was cordoned off by gallery staff and police arrived.

One of the activists, Emma Brown (30), a graduate of Glasgow School of Art, said: ‘Art is about telling the truth and connecting with our deepest emotions. But at the moment, when we need them most, art institutions fail us. ‘

She added: ‘They seem to think it’s enough to present an exhibition on climate change rather than challenge the government’s genocide plans to allow new oil and gas. This is unacceptable, it is not enough to be informed as citizens, we must be active.

‘If you’re more angry about the action than about mothers dying of heat stroke in India making orphans cry for breast milk, or about the millions of families in the UK struggling to buy food due to fossil fuel profits by the rich, then you need to get your priorities right.

‘What is more priceless? This artwork or your children’s life? There can be no new fossil fuel projects, it’s insanity and greed. ‘

Hannah Torrance Bright, 20, a student at the Glasgow School of Art, said: ‘I’m an artist, I love art, but instead of spending my time making art, I’m taking such actions , spending time in and out of cells, and being punished by our legal system for begging the government to give my generation a future. We keep these works of art sacred, but what is more sacred than life itself?

‘You should be furious about this action – I’m furious because I feel I have no choice but to resist the government’s genocide plans.

‘Imagine how angry you will feel when your loved ones die in extreme weather conditions while the government continues to protect oil companies rather than its citizens. So feel angry, and then take action. We can not assist. ‘

Carmen Lean, 28, an architecture student in Glasgow, added: ‘This landscape was painted in 1860 at the height of the highlands, when entire farming communities were evicted by a new class of owners who relentlessly pursued their own private interests. It was only when hookers organized and offered resistance that they won rights.

‘Today, it is oil and gas companies that are mercilessly pursuing their own private interests at the expense of literally everyone. They endanger everyone. We need to learn from the history of Scottish farmers how to fight back effectively.

‘I urge anyone to listen, including public institutions, professional bodies and concerned citizens, to act and play your part. Now is not the time for complacency. Civil disobedience is frightening, but it’s the only sensible thing to do and you will not regret it. ‘