Norwegian police intercepted climate protesters as they targeted Edvard Munch's masterpiece "The Scream" in the National Museum in Oslo on Friday, the latest in a string of climate protests targeting paintings.

Norwegian police said they had taken control of the three activists, after two of them tried to glue themselves to the painting. 

 "They did not succeed, but there are traces of glue on the glass case. No reports of damage to the painting," the police said.

The room where the painting is exhibited was evacuated and sealed shut, with the police saying it will reopen as soon as possible. 

The police said they arrested the three women of Finnish, Danish and German nationalities. 

Why did climate protesters attack the painting?

The 1893 painting is considered a symbol of existential angst. It features a humanlike figure screaming in horror on top of a bridge, with a swirling sky in the background.

The organization Stop Oil Exploration claimed responsibility for the incident. A video of the protest shows the activists shouting "I scream for people dying," and "I scream when lawmakers ignore science." 

Activists from the organization "Stopp oljeletinga'' in Norwegian told the Associated Press (AP) news agency they "wanted to pressure lawmakers into stopping oil exploration."

"We are campaigning against 'Scream' because it is perhaps Norway's most famous painting,'' activist spokeswoman Astrid Rem told the AP. "There have been lots of similar actions around Europe, they have managed something that no other action has managed: Achieve an extremely large amount of coverage and press.''

Norway is one of Europe's top exporters of offshore gas and oil.

The protest is the latest in a string of similar actions. In recent weeks, climate activists have protested not only on the streets of Europe but also in its museums, throwing food and glueing themselves to the protective coverings of famous paintings in London, Paris, the Hague and Berlin. None of the paintings were permanently damaged as all had been covered with plastic or glass. 

rmt/aw (AFP, AP, dpa)