vandalism

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In DC, a Battle Between Graffiti Lovers, Haters

'Eye-of-the-beholder dynamic' in nation's capital pits graffiti aficionados against those who clean it up

(Newser) - U Street is mostly deserted when Aceba Broadus and his three-person crew from the District of Columbia's Department of Public Works start setting up shop before 8am at one of DC's perennial graffiti hot spots. They tap a hydrant to fill the 275-gallon tank in their truck and...

Van Gogh Painting Gets a Soup Bath by Climate Activists
They Dumped Soup on a
Van Gogh. Now, Jail Time
UPDATED
Sep 28, 2024 7:00 AM CDT

They Dumped Soup on a Van Gogh. Now, Jail Time

Sunflowers wasn't harmed, but Just Stop Oil protesters will be spending some time behind bars

(Newser) - Two climate activists from the Just Stop Oil group will see jail time after dumping tomato soup on a Van Gogh painting in London's National Gallery. Citing PA Media, CNN reports that Phoebe Plummer, 23, and Anna Holland, 22, received sentences Friday of two years and 20 months, respectively,...

Vandal Smashes Ai Weiwei Sculpture
Vandal
Smashes
Ai Weiwei
Sculpture
Sep 23, 2024 11:04 AM CDT

Vandal Smashes Ai Weiwei Sculpture

Work of Chinese activist destroyed in Italy, though it may not be because of his politics

(Newser) - A vandal somehow got into an invite-only art show in Italy and smashed a large sculpture made by renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, reports Reuters . Ai himself posted surveillance video of the act in Bologna on his Instagram account. "When I learned that it was my large porcelain artwork...

Vandals of Ancient Rocks Now Face Prison Time

Nevada men toppled formations at Lake Mead, say prosecutors

(Newser) - An Oct. 8 trial date has been set for two Nevada men accused of damaging rock formations estimated to be 140 million years old at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. A federal indictment charged Wyatt Clifford Fain, 37, and Payden David Guy Cosper, 31, with one count of injury...

NPS: Tourists Went on Paintball Spree at Joshua Tree

German trio is accused of shooting up the national park with yellow paintballs

(Newser) - Three German tourists are personae non gratae at Joshua Tree National Park after the National Park Service says they were caught red-handed (or, in this case, yellow-handed) following a paintball vandalism spree. Citing a release , KTLA reports that a ranger making the rounds in the Southern California park on Aug....

Tourist Apologizes for Carving Initials Into Pompeii Treasure
Tourist Leaves Mark in Pompeii
Aug 9, 2024 2:45 PM CDT

Tourist Leaves Mark in Pompeii

37-year-old apologizes but could face jail

(Newser) - A house in Pompeii stood unmarred for 2,000 years—though long covered after Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE—until a 37-year-old British tourist visited the ancient city this week. Employees at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Italy saw him defacing the house and called police, CNN reports. They...

Amsterdam's Anne Frank Statue Hit by Vandals Again

'Free Gaza' was scrawled in red paint across the base of the structure in Merwedeplein square

(Newser) - A statue of Anne Frank in Amsterdam, not far from the famous Anne Frank House, has been vandalized for the second time with a message regarding Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. CBS News reports that the structure was defaced on Sunday in Merwedeplein square, with "Free Gaza"...

France Hit With 2nd Bout of Vandalism Amid Games

Nation's government says telecommunications lines have been affected in multiple areas

(Newser) - The French government says multiple telecommunications lines have been hit by acts of vandalism, affecting fiber lines and fixed and mobile phone lines as cities around France are hosting events for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The scale of the impact is unclear, as is whether it has affected any Olympic...

Stonehenge Vandals Strike Ahead of Solstice

Environmental activists toss orange powder at monument ahead of annual event

(Newser) - A day before celebrations to honor the summer solstice at Britain's iconic Stonehenge, the monument received a surprise paint job. Environmental activists sprayed what authorities described as orange paint at two of the monument's megaliths on Wednesday, per the BBC . A video shared by the Just Stop Oil...

Fire at Dublin Church 'Disastrous for History'

Remains of a 'Crusader' mummy have been destroyed, as have other centuries-old remains

(Newser) - Centuries-old mummified remains, including those of a Crusader , are thought to have been destroyed in a fire deliberately set Tuesday at a historic Dublin church. A man was arrested and charged with an offense under the Criminal Damage Act, per the BBC . He allegedly broke into the the crypt beneath...

Activists Deface King Charles' Portrait

Animal Rising defends act as 'light-hearted' way to draw attention to animal cruelty

(Newser) - That didn't take long. A month after King Charles III's first official portrait as monarch was unveiled, activists vandalized it with an image of the iconic British stop-motion animation character Wallace of Wallace and Gromit fame . The animal activist group Animal Rising shared footage Tuesday of an individual...

For King Charles' Birthday Honors, a Beheaded Statue

Monument in Australian city of Melbourne is now headless on King's Birthday holiday after vandalism

(Newser) - King Charles III was born in November, but on the second Monday of June, many states in Australia celebrate King's Birthday to pay tribute to the monarch's arrival on Earth. The celebration in Melbourne, however, got off to a bit of a dark start, after someone vandalized a...

2 More Arrested in Felling of England's Iconic Tree
2 Men Charged With
Cutting Down Famous Tree
UPDATED
Apr 30, 2024 4:44 PM CDT

2 Men Charged With Cutting Down Famous Tree

They were arrested in November in connection with felling of England's Sycamore Gap tree

(Newser) - Two men have been charged with cutting down the famous Sycamore Gap tree in northern England. Police said Tuesday that Daniel Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, who were arrested and released on bail in November, have been charged with criminal damage to the iconic sycamore tree and Hadrian's...

Video Catches 'Appalling' Act by Lake Mead Vandals

Authorities are seeking public's help in identifying suspects who toppled ancient Nevada rocks

(Newser) - Park rangers are asking the public to help them identify two men spotted on video vandalizing ancient protected rock formations at Nevada's Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The AP reports that the suspects appear in footage shot in the late afternoon on April 7, along the park's Redstone...

Felled Sycamore Gap Tree Yields Seedlings

That's in addition to 9 genetic copies

(Newser) - Though slashed from its base, the Sycamore Gap tree might still have a future, the BBC reports, as dozens of seeds taken from the tree have now sprouted. A national landmark, the centuries-old sycamore tree stood in a picturesque gap between hills in England's Northumberland National Park before it...

Crowd Attacks, Burns Self-Driving Car

This is why we can't have nice things

(Newser) - The self-driving car has met its first mob. In what Reuters calls "the most destructive attack so far on driverless vehicles in the US," a crowd surrounded and set fire to a Waymo self-driving car in San Francisco on Saturday. People were out celebrating the Lunar New Year...

'Incredible Outpouring of Support' After Statue Stolen

Donations pour in to replace Jackie Robinson statue taken from Wichita park

(Newser) - Donations poured in Wednesday to replace a destroyed statue of Jackie Robinson on what would have been the 105th birthday of the first player to break Major League Baseball's color barrier. Major League Baseball pledged support. And the total raised just through one online fundraiser surpassed $145,000, which...

Well, This Satanic Display in State Capitol Didn't Last Long

Ex-House candidate vandalizes representation of pagan idol erected by local Satanic Temple in Iowa

(Newser) - A controversial display erected in the state Capitol by the Satanic Temple of Iowa has been vandalized, after an earlier outcry about its presence in the government building, reports KCRG . "This morning, we were informed by authorities that the Baphomet statue in our holiday display was destroyed beyond repair,...

Navalny on New Charges: 'No Idea What Article 214 Is'

Opposition leader serving 30 years says new allegations are part of Kremlin obsession with him

(Newser) - Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed new charges by Russian prosecutors. The 47-year-old is already serving more than 30 years in prison after being found guilty of crimes including extremism—charges that his supporters characterize as politically motivated. In comments passed to his associates, Navalny said he'd...

Sycamore Gap Tree to Head to Secret Spot

It needs to be moved off Hadrian's wall

(Newser) - Since an act of vandalism took it down in late September, England's storied Sycamore Gap tree has lain where it fell. That will change on Thursday, when a crane will lift the 50-foot tree off of Hadrian's Wall so it can be put into storage—at a National...

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