Activists from the group Just Stop Oil sprayed an orange substance
London:
UK police arrested two people on Wednesday after environmental activists sprayed an orange substance at Stonehenge, the renowned prehistoric UNESCO World Heritage Site in southwest England.
Just stop oil protesters from damaging Stonehenge
pic.twitter.com/HSQvfWIdNh– Stonehenge UK (@ST0NEHENGE) June 19, 2024
Protest group Just Stop Oil said two of its activists “decorated Stonehenge with orange powder paint” to demand the next UK government legally commit to phasing out fossil fuels by 2030.
Images posted on social media showed the activists, wearing “Just Stop Oil” t-shirts, spraying at least two of the megalithic monuments with the orange substance from a small container.
The group said on social media that it used “orange corn flour” and stated that “it will soon be washed away by the rain.”
Wiltshire Police said in a statement it had “arrested two people following an incident at Stonehenge this afternoon”.
“Police officers attended the scene and arrested two people suspected of damaging the ancient monument.
“Our investigations are ongoing and we are working closely with English Heritage,” the police added, referring to the public body that looks after hundreds of the country’s historic sites, including Stonehenge.
The incident comes in the middle of the UK general election campaign, before voters go to the polls on July 4.
– ‘Shameful’ –
The incident drew immediate condemnation from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who called it “a shameful act of vandalism to one of the oldest and most important monuments in the UK and the world”.
“Just Stop Oil should be ashamed of its activists,” he added.
Just Stop Oil said it chose to carry out the action the day before the Summer Solstice festival, when crowds gather there to celebrate the northern hemisphere’s summer solstice.
A spokesman for the group said that although the Labor Party, which is expected to win next month’s election, has promised not to issue any new oil and gas drilling licenses, “we all know this is not enough”.
“We must unite to defend humanity or we risk everything. That’s why Just Stop Oil is demanding that our next government sign a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030,” the spokesperson added.
“Failure to defend our communities will mean that Just Stop Oil supporters… will join the resistance this summer if their own governments do not take significant action.
“Stone circles can be found in all parts of Europe, showing how we have always cooperated across great distances – we are building on that legacy.”
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