Just Stop Oil activist attempts to glue own head to ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’

Three people have been arrested a climate activist glued his head to glass covering Johannes Vermeer's celebrated 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' at a museum in The Hague.

Footage circulating on social media shows two men wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts in front of Johannes Vermeer’s 1665 masterpiece, in the Mauritshuis museum in the Netherlands.

One man is seen pouring a can containing a red substance over another protester, who then appears to attempt to glue his head to the glass-protected painting.

The second man then sticks his hand to the panel containing the masterpiece, which was protected behind glass.

One of the men, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Just Stop Oil,” shouted: “How do you feel when you see something beautiful and priceless being apparently destroyed before your eyes? Do you feel outrage? Good.

"That is the feeling when you see the planet being destroyed before our very eyes.”

The protest prompted cries of “Shame on you!”, “Obscene” and “Get away from there” from some of the gallery's visitors.

The museum, also home to Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp, later confirmed that an activist glued their hand to the wall next to the painting, and an unidentified liquid was thrown.

"The police were notified and three people have been arrested. The condition of the painting was inspected by our restorer. Fortunately, the glass-covered masterwork was not damaged," the museum's spokeperson added in a statement.

The nameless girl, painted by the Dutch Master, is said to have inspired a bestselling historical novel by Tracy Chevalier, which was adapted into a 2003 film starring Scarlett Johansson.

Earlier this month, climate protesters threw mashed potatoes at a Claude Monet painting in a German museum.

In London, protesters threw soup over Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” in the National Gallery.

In both cases, the paintings were not damaged.

“Art is defenceless, and the Mauritshuis firmly rejects attempts to damage it for any purpose whatsoever,” the museum's statement said.

It declined to comment further, arguing it would only give the protesters further publicity.

Just Stop Oil's UK movement is engaged in a month-long series of protests as activists call for the government to halt all new oil and gas licences and consents.

The group's actions have included spraying paint on the facade of two luxury car showrooms in central London, and activists smearing chocolate on a waxwork of King Charles at Madame Tussauds.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know