Climate activists divided on souping art

From mashed potatoes à la Monet to cake thrown on a wax-imitation of King Charles and tomato soup splashed on a Van Gogh, protesters are targeting famous artworks with food to drum up action on climate change.

Why it matters: The highly publicized protests have spurred conflicting responses across the climate activism community, with some warning that the tactics are counterproductive while others respond with a careful silence.

What they're saying: 18-year-old climate activist Elijah McKenzie-Jackson, campaign coordinator for youth climate strike movement Fridays for Future International, told Axios in an email that history tells us civil protests like these are necessary for change.

"Although I can recognize these acts of justice may seem outrageous to people, I challenge them to feel the outrage of destruction, death, and murder all western governments and corporations are committing to our animals, neighbors in the south and ecosystems," wrote McKenzie-Jackson.