{"id":16897,"date":"2025-08-26T15:16:04","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T14:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897"},"modified":"2025-08-27T16:46:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T15:46:31","slug":"a-van-gogh-souping-and-viral-outrage-just-stop-oil-activist-speaks-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/a-van-gogh-souping-and-viral-outrage-just-stop-oil-activist-speaks-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Van Gogh Souping and Viral Outrage: Just Stop Oil Activist Speaks Out."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Three years after hurling tomato soup at a masterpiece, Phoebe Plummer discusses the shutdown of Just Stop Oil, the importance of doing something real, and the future of direct-action protest.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>They were running late. London traffic crawled along, a thick gridlock in the inner city. Horns blared. Engines idled. Phoebe Plummer, then a student, sat restless in their car, frustrated. Sirens whined in the distance. Far ahead, beyond a wall of police, a crowd had blocked the road \u2013 banners, chants, drums, a bright pink boat. It was 2019, and Extinction Rebellion had taken over the capital, beginning their \u2018April Rebellion\u2019 protest wave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI remember thinking, what are these people doing?\u201d Plummer recalls. Soon after, they went home and researched the group, stumbling onto their singular demand, a declaration of climate emergency. Then, after reading the latest United Nations report on climate change, the conclusion became clear, earth was heating up, and catastrophe would follow. \u201cIt felt a little like my world was falling down around me. I thought, fuck! It\u2019s this huge crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t remember ever learning about the climate crisis,\u201d she says. \u201cthe way it was spoken about, I didn\u2019t think there was anything to worry about. I thought the grown-ups were in charge, that they had it all in control. I thought we were talking about stopping using plastic straws to save the turtles. I had this visceral reaction to all the systems we depend upon, I felt betrayed\u2026 lied to.\u201d That feeling of betrayal sparked an urgency to act, igniting a transformation in Plummer. They would go from a curious passer-by, looking on as others demanded change, to stepping up and taking action themself, accidentally becoming one of Britain\u2019s most infamous climate protesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/pink-boat-xr-img.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16904\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/pink-boat-xr-img.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/pink-boat-xr-img-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/pink-boat-xr-img-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/pink-boat-xr-img-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/pink-boat-xr-img.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16904\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/pink-boat-xr-img.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/pink-boat-xr-img-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/pink-boat-xr-img-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/pink-boat-xr-img-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Extinction Rebellion&#8217;s &#8216;pink boat&#8217;, used during it&#8217;s 2019 &#8216;April Rebellion&#8217; wave. Credit: Extinction Rebellion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Souping<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The leap from watching a protest in gridlocked traffic, to staging one of the most controversial climate stunts in recent memory wasn\u2019t sudden. Following Plummer\u2019s first encounter with Extinction Rebellion, they began reading everything they possibly could about the climate crisis, attended eco-science lectures, and began joining protests of their own, participating in multiple Extinction Rebellion gatherings, slow marches, sit-ins, and stunts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, after three years in the movement, they began to grow disillusioned, frustrated by the lack of action after all their work. \u201cFor me it was the logical thing of \u2018look you\u2019ve tried all of those nice ways for three years. They blatantly don\u2019t work; they were never going to work. You were kidding yourself because you didn\u2019t want to take the risk\u2019. As a result, Plummer began looking elsewhere, turning towards a more radical group just beginning to gain steam \u2013 Just Stop Oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it was October 2022 that they truly made their name, when Plummer and fellow JSO activist Anna Holland walked into room 43 of the National Gallery, emptied a can of Heinz tomato soup on Vincent Van Gogh\u2019s revered masterpiece \u2018Sunflowers\u2019, and glued themselves to the gallery wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eyes locked on an outraged crowd, they began to shout, \u201cWhat is worth more \u2013 art or life? Is it worth more than food or justice?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"562\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/the-souping-final.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16907\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/the-souping-final.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/the-souping-final-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/the-souping-final-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/the-souping-final-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"562\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/the-souping-final.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16907\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/the-souping-final.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/the-souping-final-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/the-souping-final-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/the-souping-final-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland glue themselves beneath a &#8216;souped&#8217; Van Gogh painting. Credit: Just Stop Oil.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The action went viral almost instantly, becoming one of the highest-profile protests in British history, discussed on almost every media platform, from the front page of the morning newspapers to discussion pages across social media. Overnight, Plummer was famous. \u201cWe knew it was designed to be media-grabbing,\u201d Plummer recalls \u201cbut we had no idea it would take off like it did. I was wildly unprepared for how it would change my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Sun branded both activists \u201ceco-loons.\u201d The Telegraph went further, labelling them \u201cJust Stop Oil\u2019s moral toddlers\u201d, referring to a quote by American writer Robert Tracinski, who said of society \u201cwe have fostered and indulged a sort of moral toddlerhood.\u201d Social media users fixated on Plummer\u2019s background, slamming their private school education. Plummer, it turned out, grew up in a multimillion-pound Chelsea townhouse, attended the elite \u00a350,000-per-year St Mary\u2019s School, and aced their A-Levels at a top Kensington sixth form. A path to career success and comfort lay ahead of her. Yet, here she was, taking part in one of Britain\u2019s most controversial climate stunts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst heavily critiqued at the time, Plummer maintains the message was urgent, and that their actions were entirely rational, \u201cI may have thrown soup on a painting, but actually, I don\u2019t think we were doing crazy things. I think we were acting accordingly to the crisis we\u2019re facing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The painting was not damaged as it had a glass cover, a fact known to the activists, although there was damage to the frame, a point critics piled onto. For some, the action was a disgrace, a deliberate attack on art and cultural heritage. According to BBC News, Judge Christopher Hehir told the activists they \u201ccame within the width of a pane of glass of destroying one of the most valuable artworks in the world.\u201d Prosecutors also testified that the frame, \u201ca piece of art in itself,\u201d was damaged as a result of the protest.<br>For supporters, it was a much-needed wake-up call to a planet on fire. During the trial for their Sunflowers action, 125 artists appealed to the judge in an attempt to reduce sentencing, likening the act of the protest itself to a form of performative art. The statement read, \u201cWe are concerned by the courts\u2019 defence of a false notion of artistic purity in their judgement and sentencing. Art can be and frequently is, iconoclasm. These activists should not receive custodial sentences for an act that connects entirely to artistic canon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The action was about visibility, its goal not to spark a revolution or gather public sympathy, but to force a singular message into the public consciousness, just: stop oil. \u201cFossil fuel licensing simply wasn\u2019t in the public debate,\u201d they say. \u201cit was an obscure bureaucratic process going on behind closed doors. We actually made that a topic of conversation and made it politically impossible for Labour to keep issuing these licences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZvjMTaJuioE?si=ehWFKvyosxkGhhCL\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZvjMTaJuioE?si=ehWFKvyosxkGhhCL\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Going Viral<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The soup protest grew to an unexpected virality, forcing Plummer into the eye of the British media, and the online social sphere. They admit to struggling with the onslaught of attention. \u201cI did really struggle with the media side at first. I\u2019ve always said I didn\u2019t mind the legal consequences, because I\u2019d served the worst bit of the sentence in the media.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Online, the abuse quickly turned from general contempt to personal abuse. \u201cA lot of the stuff online is really quite vitriolic,\u201d they say. \u201cand I think what I struggled with most, Anna and I being young, fairly female-presenting, and queer, was that it turned into misogyny and homophobia almost instantly, which is to be expected. But I just found\u2026 disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wish people were more creatively insulting. Then at least I could respect the online hate.\u201d1<br>The toll led Plummer to quit social media entirely, turning to her close friends and family for support. \u201c; I have no desire to. I realised it\u2019s not a very nice place to be. In person, I had a huge amount of support and love, that far outweighed a bunch of hateful Twitter trolls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/painting-souped.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16916\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/painting-souped.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/painting-souped-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/painting-souped-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/painting-souped-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/painting-souped.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16916\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/painting-souped.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/painting-souped-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/painting-souped-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/painting-souped-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Heinz tomato soup dribbles down Van Gogh&#8217;s &#8216;Sunflowers&#8217;. Credit: Just Stop Oil.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Behind Bars<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For their role in multiple actions, Plummer served over 250 days in HMP Bronzefield, the largest women\u2019s prison in Europe, located on the fringes of London. They arrived with pre-conceptions of prison, fearing life on the inside. \u201cWhen I went to prison for the first time, I was really scared. I thought, \u2018ah shit, what have I done? Maybe I can\u2019t hack this.\u2019 but that cleared up quickly. I\u2019d wake up every morning and drink shitty prison coffee with people I loved. And after the first morning doing that, I thought: this is fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prison shattered their illusions of incarceration. \u201cWe all grow up with this myth of prison\u2014that it\u2019s this horrible and scary place. We are told that if you go to prison, you must be bad and scared, because that\u2019s where the \u2018bad\u2019 people are. And that\u2019s so far from true. I saw very much that prison is a place for people who are actually just inconvenient to society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through it all, Plummer found strength in the Just Stop Oil community. \u201cI\u2019ve genuinely never been happier in my life. These people exude more love and care and goodness than anyone I\u2019ve ever known. They\u2019ll support me through anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"562\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/hmp-bronzefield.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16920\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/hmp-bronzefield.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/hmp-bronzefield-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/hmp-bronzefield-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/hmp-bronzefield-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"562\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/hmp-bronzefield.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16920\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/hmp-bronzefield.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/hmp-bronzefield-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/hmp-bronzefield-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/hmp-bronzefield-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">HMP Bronzefield, a woman&#8217;s prison in Surrey, where Plummer served her sentence. Credit: The Daily Star<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Radical Flank<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For Plummer, climate protest and social liberation are deeply intertwined with identity. They see their queerness and politics as inseparable, rooted in the same fight for collective liberty and justice. \u201cBeing female and queer, I understand that the rights I have came from people who didn\u2019t just sign petitions.\u201d1<br>They never saw Just Stop Oil as a popular front designed to persuade people, its goal was something else, to push once-outlandish ideas (such as banning new oil and gas licenses) into the public consensus. \u201cI always saw our role as the radical flank,\u201d they say. \u201cnot to mobilise the masses like Extinction Rebellion, but to push the Overton Window, shifting what\u2019s acceptable in public debate.\u201d The Overton Window referring to the sphere of political ideas generally accepted by the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Upon gaining power, Labour announced it would stop allowing new oil and gas licenses, a success for Just Stop Oil. In response, just a few months later, in April, the group announced its disbandment and called for an end to its disruptive actions, but Plummer believes Just Stop Oil has left a hole that must be filled, \u201cI think now there is an interesting space in the climate movement, which was that radical flank that Just Stop Oil held. I think the people involved in Just Stop Oil will carry on in resistance one way or another. I now would find it inconceivable to go back to a quiet life, knowing what I know and knowing the and power and agency that comes with activism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They link new government legislation to suppress protest, like the Public Order Act (introduced in 2023 the Public Order Act criminalises \u2018locking-on\u2019, and several other disruptive protest tactics) to corporate interests such as oil companies attempting to silence dissent and suppress protest. They openly critiqued the policy, saying, \u201cRishi Sunak admitted it was drafted by Policy Exchange, a think tank funded by ExxonMobil. These laws target climate activists, and it\u2019s not a coincidence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Crackdown and Solidarity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Recently, the government legally proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist group, illustrating a further descent into state suppression of protest. Many JSO members also work within Palestine Action, so the move hit Plummer hard. \u201cI feel quite deeply impacted by the calls to proscribe Palestine Action,\u201d Plummer turns away, regaining their composure for a moment. They speak slowly, emotions welling \u201cI was in prison with many people from Palestine Action, from the Filton 18, who\u2019ve had terror legislation used against them. And knowing those people, and how brave they are, and how brilliant, and how loving\u2026 I think that\u2019s the thing that upsets me the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTrying to prevent a genocide is an act of love, and to see that twisted into being called terrorism, when it\u2019s the state that\u2019s funding and supporting this war in the Middle East where thousands upon thousands of innocent people are dying\u2026. Yeah, I\u2019m finding it really upsetting to see at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3oj8in59uMk?si=5O8dvq5Kw1GlHtyX\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3oj8in59uMk?si=5O8dvq5Kw1GlHtyX\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Resistance Persists<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The stakes, Plummer believes, are too high to stay silent. She encourages those who feel helpless to stand up and take action \u201cIt\u2019s so easy to be immobilised by all the fear and rage and grief at the climate crisis and government inaction to tackle it\u2014and that all those are really rational human responses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe best way I\u2019ve found to deal with that isn\u2019t to try and ignore it or run from it, but to channel those feelings into doing something real about it. Doing that will help you deal so much with all of the very real feelings that come with acknowledging the crisis of the reality we face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They were recently spared another prison sentence, instead given 150 hours of community service and fines. Outside court, they said: \u201cPerhaps by not sending me to prison today, the courts have realised that draconian sentences are not working to deter people from resistance. How could it, when the alternative is to passively accept the death and suffering of hundreds of millions of innocent people as a result of climate inaction?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Plummer stands at a crossroads. \u201cI\u2019m figuring out where I take my resistance next.\u201d But one thing is certain: \u201cI feel joyous. I feel lucky that I get to do this with my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They offer a final word of encouragement, for anyone inspired to take action. \u201cIf someone had told me I\u2019d go to prison three times and speak on national TV, I\u2019d have laughed. But I think most people are braver than they know. Channel that fear and grief into something real. You might find a lot more love and joy in it than you expect.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Phoebe Plummer discusses the shutdown of Just Stop Oil, the importance of doing something real, and the future of direct-action protest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1225,"featured_media":16900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[57,48],"class_list":["post-16897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-activism","tag-culture"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Van Gogh Souping and Viral Outrage: Just Stop Oil Activist Speaks Out. - Life360<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Van Gogh Souping and Viral Outrage: Just Stop Oil Activist Speaks Out. - Life360\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Phoebe Plummer discusses the shutdown of Just Stop Oil, the importance of doing something real, and the future of direct-action protest.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Life360\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-26T14:16:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-27T15:46:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/plummer-npr-image-final-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Daniel Taylor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Daniel Taylor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897\",\"name\":\"Van Gogh Souping and Viral Outrage: Just Stop Oil Activist Speaks Out. - Life360\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/plummer-npr-image-final-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-26T14:16:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-27T15:46:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/#\/schema\/person\/f07cfcf916973b7e430bfdb2179a4885\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/plummer-npr-image-final-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/plummer-npr-image-final-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":563,\"caption\":\"Credit: NPR.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Van Gogh Souping and Viral Outrage: Just Stop Oil Activist Speaks Out.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/\",\"name\":\"Life360\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/#\/schema\/person\/f07cfcf916973b7e430bfdb2179a4885\",\"name\":\"Daniel Taylor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/11\/avatar_user_1225_1732818930-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/11\/avatar_user_1225_1732818930-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Daniel Taylor\"},\"description\":\"I'm a student journalist at Cardiff University, specialising in environmental\/geographical journalism.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/author\/taylordl3\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Van Gogh Souping and Viral Outrage: Just Stop Oil Activist Speaks Out. - Life360","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Van Gogh Souping and Viral Outrage: Just Stop Oil Activist Speaks Out. - Life360","og_description":"Phoebe Plummer discusses the shutdown of Just Stop Oil, the importance of doing something real, and the future of direct-action protest.","og_url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897","og_site_name":"Life360","article_published_time":"2025-08-26T14:16:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-27T15:46:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":563,"url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/plummer-npr-image-final-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Daniel Taylor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Daniel Taylor","Estimated reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897","name":"Van Gogh Souping and Viral Outrage: Just Stop Oil Activist Speaks Out. - Life360","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/plummer-npr-image-final-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-26T14:16:04+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-27T15:46:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/#\/schema\/person\/f07cfcf916973b7e430bfdb2179a4885"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/plummer-npr-image-final-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/08\/plummer-npr-image-final-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":563,"caption":"Credit: NPR."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=16897#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Van Gogh Souping and Viral Outrage: Just Stop Oil Activist Speaks Out."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/","name":"Life360","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/#\/schema\/person\/f07cfcf916973b7e430bfdb2179a4885","name":"Daniel Taylor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/11\/avatar_user_1225_1732818930-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/11\/avatar_user_1225_1732818930-96x96.jpg","caption":"Daniel Taylor"},"description":"I'm a student journalist at Cardiff University, specialising in environmental\/geographical journalism.","url":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/author\/taylordl3\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16897"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16958,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16897\/revisions\/16958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}