Foto Roelof Kleis [Update]
The Sower looks fresh again. Cleaners sprayed the oil off the statue this morning. It was reportedly frying oil that activists threw over the statue two weeks ago. The statue itself was cleaned with hot water, the pedestal with soapy water.
[Original post of Nov. 10]
The iconic sculpture De Zaaier is a popular target for activists, but protests were, to date, restricted to dressing the sculpture up or placing banners. This trend ended last night with a protest by End Fossil. They smeared the statue and its pedestal with oil. In doing so, they crossed the boundary of vandalism, according to WUR.
‘We are concerned’, says spokesperson Jan-Willem Bol. ‘At WUR, there is room for protest, but pouring oil over a sculpture is taking it too far.’ Nevertheless, WUR will not press charges, says Bol. ‘However, we do want to voice our concern over this development.’ WUR employees removed the statements (which included ‘Stop collaborating with murderers’) in the early morning. The protest group posted a video of the oil-covered statue on Instagram.
A few posters on the pedestal remained. These posters relate to the death of environmental activists in the fight against Shell in Nigeria. The activists point to WUR as being partially culpable as a result of its ties with the fossil industry. WUR is currently working on more stringent rules for partnerships with the fossil industry. The first of two sessions on this issue is to be held on Monday, and new rules are expected this fall.
