Overview
- The pair staged their protest on October 9, 2024, placing a photograph of a Gazan mother and child over the glass of Picasso’s 1901 Motherhood and pouring water‑based red paint on the gallery floor.
- A jury at Southwark Crown Court found Jai Halai and Monday‑Malachi Rosenfeld guilty of criminal damage after more than nine hours of deliberation on July 28, 2026, and the defendants were released on bail ahead of a September sentencing hearing.
- Court testimony established that the Picasso painting itself was not harmed but paint seeped into the floor, staining marble skirting and forcing the replacement of a mastic joint and other repairs.
- The National Gallery told jurors the incident generated about £8,000 in total costs to reopen and repair the room while line items shown in evidence attributed roughly £271.59 to cleaning and £250.28 to staff response time.
- Both defendants are members of Youth Demand, an offshoot of Just Stop Oil, and the case highlights tensions between high‑profile direct action at cultural institutions and legal protections for public heritage.