LONDON (AP) – Two environmental activists have been charged with spraying orange paint powder on the Stonehenge monument in southwestern England in June, police said Thursday.
Wiltshire Police said in a statement that Rajan Naidu, 73, and Niamh Lynch, 22, “destroyed or damaged an ancient protected monument and intentionally or recklessly caused a public nuisance”. It was announced that he had been charged with a crime. They are scheduled to appear in Salisbury Magistrates Court on December 13.
Shortly after the spray attack on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Just Stop Oil organization took responsibility and released a video showing a man it identified as Naidu spraying orange mist from a fire extinguisher onto one of the vertical stones. did. A second protester, identified as Lynch, sprayed three stones before being restrained. The paint is made from cornstarch and will dissolve in the rain.
Following the protests, the charity English Heritage, which manages hundreds of historic sites, announced that experts had quickly removed the orange powder from the stones.
Stonehenge was built on the windswept plains of southern England in stages over 5,000 years ago. Although its origins and purpose remain shrouded in mystery, the stone circle coincides with sunrise on the summer solstice and sunset on the winter solstice, attracting crowds of spiritualists, druids, and sun worshipers.
The publicity stunt was one in a series of vandalism attempts by Just Stop Oil to draw attention to the climate crisis. Protests have canceled sporting events, defaced famous works of art, and caused traffic jams. The act led to convictions, prison sentences, and widespread criticism.
