James O'Brien 10am - 1pm
Mona Lisa smeared with cake by eco-protester dressed as old lady in a wheelchair
30 May 2022, 11:13 | Updated: 30 May 2022, 13:29
A man disguised as an old woman in a wheelchair has smeared cake all over the Mona Lisa.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Video posted on social media shows a man covering the painting's glass case with cake as a shocked crowd looks on at the Louvre in Paris.
He appears to be wearing lipstick and a wig.
One witness wrote on social media that he jumped out of a wheelchair before attempting "to smash the bullet proof glass of the Mona Lisa".
The person added that the man then smeared cake over the glass before throwing "roses everywhere all before being tackled by security".
Man throws cake on the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris
As he was escorted from the building, he reportedly told bystanders in French: "Think about the planet… there are people who are destroying the planet, think about it…
“All the artists tell you think about the planet, all artists think about the planet. That's why I did this."
The Mona Lisa, which was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1500s, is one of the most famous paintings in the world.
It is not thought to have been damaged in the incident.