Two climate change protesters were arrested on Wednesday after allegedly spraying orange paint on the ancient Stonehenge ruins in England, local authorities said.
Protesters from environmental activist group Just Stop Oil sprayed the monument with orange paint on Wednesday, the day before the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It said in a statement About X.
According to Just Stop Oil, the pair “are calling on the new administration to sign a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.”
Wiltshire Police told The Associated Press that the two protesters were arrested near Salisbury, England, on suspicion of vandalising one of the world’s most famous prehistoric sites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Hill has reached out to police and Just Stop Oil for further comment.
English Heritage, the custodian of ancient monuments, It was called the incident “We are very upset,” he said, adding that curators were assessing the extent of the damage.
Stop the oil I got it. The paint used on the 4,500-year-old stone circle was made from orange cornstarch that dissolves in the rain.
The group said the move was in response to the Labor Party’s recently released manifesto, which promised not to issue any more oil and gas exploration licences if it wins the general election on July 4. Just Stop Oil supported the decision but said it was not enough.
“If we continue to burn coal, oil and gas, millions of people will die. We must come together to protect humanity or put everything at risk,” a Just Stop Oil spokesman said. He said in a statement.
According to the group, the two protesters were Niamh Lynch, a 21-year-old student from Oxford University, and Rajan Naidu, 73, from Birmingham, England.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak condemned Wednesday’s protests. Write on X“It’s a disgrace to shut off the oil.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer, Mr Sunak’s main rival in the next general election, called the “Don’t stop the oil” campaign “pathetic”. And he said, The damage done to Stonehedge is “enormous.”
According to the Associated Press, the Labor Party is currently leading the polls, and several experts and politicians predict that the party will lead the next government.
Thousands of people are expected to visit Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain on Thursday to mark the summer solstice. Construction of the historic site began 5,000 years ago, with the iconic stone circle built in the Late Neolithic period around 2500 BC.
