November 4, 2022

Elon Musk's Twitter takeover has finally happened, and it has dominated news cycles and social media in a big way. If you were wondering what else was going on in the world this week, here are our top stories:

• Europe fears fridges and washing machines may be helping Putin's war

• The 2022 midterms will be a major test for TikTok

• Google and Apple are battling it out to get to your passenger seat

Climate activism gone rogue

🏛️ Museums worldwide are on high alert as priceless paintings are becoming props for climate protests.

🎨 You must have seen the headlines: From Vermeer's 'Girl With a Pearl Earring' to van Gogh's 'Sunflowers,' climate activists are throwing soup, mashed potatoes, and cake at world-famous art.

Have your cake or throw it, too?

👑 Just Stop Oil activists smeared chocolate cake over a waxwork of King Charles III at Madame Tussauds, demanding halts on all new oil and gas licenses.

What's with the gluing?

⚡Activists are supergluing themselves to art in museums in addition to throwing food.

⌛ The age-old tactic, borrowed from street protests, gives people more time to deliver their message on a global stage before they're arrested or removed.

🦖 Dinosaurs are not spared: Activists from the Last Generation group superglued themselves to a million-year-old dinosaur skeleton in Berlin.

The pièce de résistance

✊ Resistance is the point activists want to make — What's more important, art or your children's life? They want to shock people and use publicity to draw global attention.

😱 Major climate groups consult art restorationists before attacking art to ensure no harm. Still, the threat of copycat protestors not taking the same precautions raises the risk of permanent damage.

The debate about tactics rages on, but are people on board?

📢 A recent poll in Britain after the attack on van Gogh showed 66% of people supported non-violent climate protests. However, Just Stop Oil's own poll shows targeting great artwork is very unpopular.

🖼️ Vandalism has triggered debates on climate activism itself: after all, French impressionists didn't cause climate change.

🗣️ Art critics have said the approach is "counterproductive," but climate activists say they've resorted to it because nothing else seems to be working.

If you have any feedback, drop it here. Have a great weekend!