Anna Holland

Anna Holland is a British climate activist. Born in northwest England, they joined Just Stop Oil in June 2022 and met Phoebe Plummer at a Trafalgar Square roadblock that October. Later that month, the pair threw soup at a painting of by Vincent van Gogh, prompting worldwide outrage and earning the pair queerphobic abuse. The reaction from their family prompted Holland to retreat from frontline activism. In September 2024, Christopher Hehir sentenced Holland to 20 months in prison for their part in the act, prompting criticism.
Life and career
Holland was born in northwest England and has a brother and two sisters. Their mother was the headteacher at a Catholic primary school and their brother trained with the Royal Air Force. and started reading poetry at Newcastle University in 2020. While there, their Instagram feed began reflecting the climate crisis and a friend told them they had been part of a Just Stop Oil blockade of an oil terminal, prompting them to attend a recruiting talk on campus. Its first speaker was Alex De Koning, who Holland began a relationship with on 27 September 2022. within a week after the talk, Holland was in London training to give similar talks,
In October 2022, after coverage of Just Stop Oil began tapering off, Holland began developing ways to return to the headlines with other members and saw Phoebe Plummer at a Trafalgar Square roadblock, where they were struck by Plummer's confidence and appearance. A few days later, they called Plummer, who like Holland used singular they pronouns, to ask if they wanted in on a top-secret plan they had devised. The pair visited the National Gallery in London on 13 and 14 October, with their first visit comprising an examination of the venue's security protocols. Holland had rehearsed a speech as well, but was unable to deliver it due to Plummer going offscript and the guards clearing the gallery too quickly. The pair received significant queerphobic abuse from social media and right-wing newspapers following the incident, though their actions inspired several subsequent climate activists to throw food at paintings around the world. The pair were arrested and charged with criminal damage and aggravated trespass and were released on bail, following which they took the tube to a safe house still wearing their prison uniforms. Immediately afterward, Holland launched a Crowdfunder appeal and compiled a bucket list of things to do with De Koning. constituted Holland and De Koning's two year anniversary, though the pair celebrated it a week early due to the sentencing. Hehir sentenced Holland to 20 months in prison, His sentence was criticised by George Monbiot and Nadya Tolokonnikova, though Celia Walden was less sympathetic.

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