Three Stop Oil activists have been banned from protesting in London ahead of their trial for allegedly throwing soup at two Van Gogh paintings in the National Gallery.
Mary Somerville, 77, Stephen Simpson, 71, and Phillipa Green, 24, were each charged with two counts of destroying artwork by soaking it in The frames of “Sunflower 1889” and “Sunflower 1888” were damaged in the soup.
The trio earlier appeared at Southwark Crown Court and pleaded not guilty before being granted conditional bail.
The judge banned them from protesting within the boundaries of the M25 road until the trial is scheduled to begin in January 2026.
Mr Simpson, from Shipley, West Yorkshire, and Ms Somerville, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, appeared in person, while Ms Green, from Penryn, Cornwall, appeared via video link.
Their lawyer, Raj Chada, argued that the ban “disproportionately” violated their right to protest because London is the “seat of government”.
But Judge Alexander Milne said: “The application of the defendant’s right to protest is relative and there appears to be considerable ambiguity between the exercise of this right and the commission of a criminal offence.
“This court will not ban them from lawfully protesting elsewhere in the UK, but I will ban them from taking part in any protests within the M25.”
