Zürcher Nachrichten - Activists splash soup on glass-protected Mona Lisa in Paris: AFP

Two women threw red and orange soup onto the glass protecting the smiling lady to gasps from the crowd in the French capital's Louvre museum, an AFP video journalist reported.

"What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food," they asked, standing in front of the painting and speaking in turn.

"Your agricultural system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work."

The action comes as French farmers have been protesting for days to demand better pay, taxes and regulations.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Friday announced several measures, but road blockages have continued in different parts of the country.

Sunday's action follows a series of such stunts by climate activists against world-famous paintings to demand more action to phase out fossil fuels and protect the planet.

It was not the first attack on the "Mona Lisa".

A 36-year-old man threw a custard pie at her in May 2022, because artists were not focusing enough on "the planet", but the thick glass casing ensured she came to no harm.

A.Senn--NZN