The protest group Palestine Action has slashed a painting of Lord Balfour housed at the University of Cambridge’s Trinity College.

A painting of Lord Balfour housed at the University of Cambridge’s Trinity College was slashed by protest group Palestine Action.

The painting of Lord Balfour was made in 1914 by Philip Alexius de László inside Trinity College. The Palestine Action group specifically targeted the Lord Balfour painting, describing his declaration as the beginning of “ethnic cleansing of Palestine by promising the land away—which the British never had the right to do.”

  • Alien Nathan Edward@lemm.eeEnglish
    8423·
    9 months ago

    Take a look at everyone clutching their pearls over this painting and think about what doesn’t upset them

    • SoleInvictus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3321·
      9 months ago

      Oh no, a painting! So much more important and relatable than children dying. That happens all the time.

      /s

      Edit: I’m agreeing with the above point, folks. Lives are more important than paintings. We need a lot more outrage about people dying and less about property damage.

      • Tja@programming.devEnglish
        3814·
        9 months ago

        Has this prevented any kids from dying? Or is it in addition to children dying? Can people be upset at two (or even… three!) things at the same time?

        • SoleInvictus@lemmy.worldEnglish
          94·
          9 months ago

          I agree with your point, but want to highlight that at no point did I suggest people can’t be upset about multiple things. No offense intended toward you personally (or anyone really), but your response now seems to be the standard reaction to shut down anyone pointing out the disparity in media/public reaction between things like people dying or being repressed and material goods being vandalized or destroyed. It’s getting better, but the theme of reporting tended to be that property damage is a tragic loss of irreplaceable treasure, while genocide was more akin to “some people went to sleep and didn’t wake up again, maybe they should have complied”.

          Of course people can be upset by multiple things. When the magnitude of upset over precious but ultimately replaceable things being destroyed is greater than that for irreplaceable people being destroyed, then we have a problem.

          At least that’s my take and I’m anything but infallible.

          • Tja@programming.devEnglish
            84·
            9 months ago

            I get your point, but on the other hand, I understood your first comment as “There’s children dying, so you’re not allowed to be upset by anything lesser than that”, which is also used to shut down dissent.

            Anyways, thanks for the Level-headed answer, have a good one!

            • SoleInvictus@lemmy.worldEnglish
              61·
              9 months ago

              Totally understandable, there’s always a risk that a quick, snappy comment conveys the wrong meaning. My wording definitely could have been better, but I’m leaving it for posterity so future generations might learn to do better.

              And thanks to you too! Good conversation.

          • EatATaco@lemm.eeEnglish
            23·
            9 months ago

            to shut down anyone pointing out the disparity in media/public reaction between things like people dying or being repressed and material goods being vandalized or destroyed

            The OP is even linking to artnet because this does not seem to be a major story outside of this. I probably would have never heard about this had I not read it on lemmy. I listen to NPR on my way to work, I regularly hear about the horrors the people in Gaza are facing. So I’m not sure this characterization is fair.

    • Railcar8095@lemm.eeEnglish
      2119·
      9 months ago

      The Israeli army is retreating in fear. Now it’s a painting, next time they might smash a vase!

      The thing is that the is plain useless. Nobody is going to have a change of heart because somebody slashed a painting. If anything I think it can have a slight effect on the opposite direction.

      It’s also very interesting, some people defending this action and upset about Israels invasion seem very chill about Russia’s invasion…

      • AbsentBird@lemm.eeEnglish
        112·
        9 months ago

        You’re getting down voted, but you’re absolutely right. Zionists will use this as another excuse to ignore the movement, while it does nothing to help the Palestinian people.

        • Railcar8095@lemm.eeEnglish
          41·
          9 months ago

          Yeah. I think so many people just have this “it’s for a good reason”, and don’t consider if it’s useful if even positive for them.

          Might have have a better impact to force them through social movement to remove the painting. Achieving that would have been a much stronger message.

          Still I think most downvotes come from people that don’t like I’ve brought up Russia’s invasion as something negative.

    • EatATaco@lemm.eeEnglish
      2226·
      9 months ago

      If they punched a baby, instead, which is actually better than what’s going Gaza, would it be wrong for people to be upset about them taking it out on something that has nothing to do with the criminals they are protesting?

      It’s a dumb thing they did and they are a piece of shit. But what Israel is doing is Gaza is infinitely worse. It completely reasonable and easy to hold these two positions at the same time.