Protesting Coke as COP27 sponsor, activists attack Barcelona mummy exhibit

The Egyptian Museum in Barcelona – one of the leading private collections of Egyptian art and culture – became the latest target of on-the-rise climate protests targeting cultural exhibits as activists on Sunday splashed a viscous liquid over a glass case housing a replica mummy.

The two activists used Coca-Cola bottles to pour a brown liquid on a display case and reportedly splattered ‘fake red blood’ on a wall. They then glued their hands beside a nearby exhibit and held up a modified Coca-Cola banner scrawled with the words “climate justice,” AFP reported, citing local media.

The American beverage behemoth – Coca-Cola – is one of the official sponsors of the UN COP27 climate summit, which is being held in Egypt. Environmentalists blame the company for being responsible for much of the world’s plastic pollution. The Futuro Vegetal group, to which the two activists belong, said, “We find it hard to believe the global leader in plastic pollution (seemingly referring to Coca-Cola) is not going to use its influence as a sponsor of COP27 to advance its commercial interests given its total dependence on fossil fuels.”

Sunday’s stunt was the latest in a string of climate protests by activists who have thrown soup at Vincent van Gogh paintings in London and Rome, and mashed potatoes on a Monet masterpiece. The increased instances of activists using art disruption tactics to draw attention to the climate crisis remains a matter of debate as some are of the view that such acts hurt the climate movement more than they help.