Historic Portrait of Lord Balfour Slashed by Pro-Palestine Protestors
Historic Portrait of Lord Balfour Slashed by Pro-Palestine Protestors
The protest group Palestine Action has slashed a painting of Lord Balfour housed at the University of Cambridge’s Trinity College.
A painting of Lord Balfour housed at the University of Cambridge’s Trinity College was slashed by protest group Palestine Action.
The painting of Lord Balfour was made in 1914 by Philip Alexius de László inside Trinity College. The Palestine Action group specifically targeted the Lord Balfour painting, describing his declaration as the beginning of “ethnic cleansing of Palestine by promising the land away—which the British never had the right to do.”
Probably the only type of destruction of art as protest I condone. The piece:
- Is not very old or culturally/historically important
- Directly depicts someone at the root of this conflict
- Was deliberately targeted and the reasons layed out
Trying to destroy unrelated art work is just wasteful of our shared human heritage. Attacking symbols of oppression however is perfectly valid in my opinion and is to me perfectly reasonable escalation when peaceful protests obviously do not bring the changes needed.
I put this on the same level as African Americans attacking statues of confederate generals and other proponents of slavery to hammer home their point.
It’s from the 20th century, and of the guy directly responsible for the mess in Palestine today as well as his shit in Ireland.
I’m about as outraged about this as I would be a Jew slashing a “historical” painting of Hitler.
I wonder if in a hundred years people will be upset over Trumps portrait getting ruined?
This has the same energy as destroying confederate general statues. Good on them.
There was a news article a day or two ago about a pensioner vandalising a statue of Thatcher. I feel the same way about this act as I did that - good on the perpetrator.
Unless a work of art is housed somewhere meant to cause reflection on all the actions a person took in their full context which includes making clear the problematic acts of the subject, they shouldn't be somewhere clearly meant to commemorate them. And if they are, then they're fair game.
That will win them sympathy for the cause. As if people need more reason to see Palestine and their sympathisers as violent criminals.
Also now money will be spent on restauration that could have gone to planting trees, or something nice.. instead it will be a very expensive restauration, increased security.
Maybe these protesters could do something more usefull like doing a collection and charity run for the people in Gaza.
