"Climate activists have condemned an 18-month jail term for a nonviolent protester who vandalized a display case at the National Gallery of Art as grossly disproportionate and a violation of the constitutional protected rights to free speech and peaceful protest. Timothy Martin, along with fellow activist Joanna Smith, staged the climate protest at the Washington DC gallery in April 2023, smearing washable red and black paint on the protective glass covering Edgar Degas's Little Dancer Aged Fourteen Years sculpture."
"Tim Martin engaged in a classic example of civil disobedience to make a political point the authorities basically threw the book at him. It's hard to fathom how a peaceful protester can receive more prison time than many of the insurrectionists who tried to overturn an election, said Trevor Stankiewicz, researcher at Climate Rights International. Punishing peaceful protest out of proportion has a chilling effect on free speech and basic rights You can't imprison your way out of the climate crisis, Stankiewicz."
"Smith pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and served a 60-day sentence. She was also sentenced to 24 months of supervised release, as well as 150 hours of community service and fines totaling $4,062. Smith was barred from entering Washington, and from all museums and monuments for two years. Martin did not accept a plea deal and was found guilty on both counts after a four-day trial."
Timothy Martin and Joanna Smith staged a climate protest at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in April 2023 by smearing washable red and black paint on the protective glass covering Edgar Degas’s Little Dancer Aged Fourteen Years sculpture. Video shows they sat silently with hands raised and did not touch or damage the sculpture. Both were arrested and charged with conspiracy and injury to an exhibit, felonies carrying up to five years in prison and $250,000 fines. Smith pleaded to a lesser charge and served 60 days plus supervised release, community service, fines, and museum bans. Martin rejected a plea, was convicted at trial, and received an 18-month sentence. Activists called the sentence disproportionate and warned it could chill free speech and peaceful protest.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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