PROTESTERS have sprayed soup on a statue of Queen Victoria in a bid to shine a light on food insecurity.
Activists with the campaign group This is Rigged said they used fire extinguishers filled with soup to target a statue of the late former monarch and one of her husband Prince Albert in George Square, Glasgow.
They have demanded that essentials such as baby formula be reduced to March 2021 prices and have called for the creation of a community hub per 500 households to be set up by the Scottish Government.
They picked the 19th century monarchs to highlight reports that Victorian-style diseases such as rickets were returning to Scotland because of poverty and malnutrition.
READ MORE: Protesters charged after pouring porridge on bust of Queen Victoria
One activist who took part, Noah Crane, 19, said he believed that “eating is a fundamental human right” which was being “neglected for the sake of a few people making a lot of money”.
Adrian Johnson, 57, a drystane dyker and former deputy head teacher in Perthshire, added: “Some will say that’s an awful waste of food when one in four are going hungry in Scotland. Yes, it is appalling isn’t it?
“Appalling and alarming that, here in Scotland, one in four are going hungry. I hope this wakes you up and that you are appalled and alarmed too. Perhaps we can work together to solve this.”
In a statement, This is Rigged said: “Violence is being enacted against the people of Scotland by those with power – supermarket CEOs dictate who eats and starves, and the Scottish Government takes no meaningful action on a crisis that they know is killing people.
READ MORE: Protesters steal 1200 potato scones from Glasgow stores
“The people in power have always been c****, are still being c****, and will continue to be c**** until people take the power back into our own hands.
“We are at a crossroads now, looking down the barrel of climate collapse at an increasingly unstable future. Our safety and security cannot be left in the hands of these c****.”
Two members of the group were charged at the weekend after smearing porridge and jam over a bust of Queen Victoria in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow.
A police spokesperson said: "Around 11.15am on Monday, March 4, 2024, police were made aware of statues in George Square, Glasgow being vandalised. Enquiries are ongoing."
The Scottish Government was approached for comment.
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