Almost two years after their adhesive attack on the “Sistine Madonna” in the Old Masters Picture Gallery, two climate activists have received a lighter fine than they initially received at the Dresden District Court. On Wednesday, they were each sentenced to 30 daily rates of 20 euros for malicious damage to property.
The judge took into account that the 23-year-old and the 24-year-old confessed to the crime on August 23, 2022 and gave detailed testimony, that they have no previous convictions and that “moderate damage” was caused. The verdict is not yet final.
The young woman and her companion had refused to accept a fine of 1,500 euros in the summer of 2023 and had appealed against the penalty orders. According to the prosecution, the picture frame of Rafael’s masterpiece suffered damage of almost 2,300 euros, but the court now assumed less than half of that.
In September, a civil suit filed by the Free State for damages will be heard – according to the regional court, it is demanding more than 10,000 euros from the defendants, including for lost income due to the necessary gallery closure.
At the start of the trial a week ago, the two accused stated that they wanted to attract “as much attention as possible” in view of the effects of the climate crisis. To do this, they referred to the forest fires in Saxon Switzerland. The public prosecutor demanded fines of 1,200 euros each, while the defense demanded an acquittal. They see only simple damage to property, the alleged costs were incorrectly calculated – and the frame manufacturer’s cost estimate was simply added to the hours worked by the restorers.
In their final statement, the defendants said that they were “concerned precisely with preserving the beauty of art and culture.” They wanted to raise awareness of “the consequences of our actions” and were in favor of observing the law. “We are not against the state.” The judge acknowledged their idealism – and that they “did not go to extremes.”
The two activists had used superglue to attach a hand each to the frame of the famous 16th century altarpiece by Raphael in the picture gallery. After the museum was evacuated, which remained closed for the rest of the day, a restorer removed them from the frame. As two museum employees said in court, it took around 15 hours of work to repair the damage to the patina.
The judge rejected the accusation of “criminalization” made by the defendants: they themselves had set out to gain publicity, he stated. They were intelligent and could “achieve their goals without committing crimes,” he told them, warning: “If they continue to plan such actions, they have a thorny road ahead of them.”
