Climate protesters arrested over spraying orange paint on Stonehenge monument
- The action by Just Stop Oil comes a day before thousands are expected to gather at the ancient stone circle to celebrate the summer solstice
Two climate protesters who sprayed orange paint on the ancient Stonehenge monument in southern England were arrested Wednesday after two bystanders appeared to intervene and stop them.
The latest act by Just Stop Oil was quickly condemned by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a “disgraceful act of vandalism”. Labour leader Keir Starmer, his main opponent in the election next month, called the group “pathetic” and said the damage was “outrageous”.
The incident came just a day before thousands are expected to gather at the roughly 4,500-year-old stone circle to celebrate the summer solstice – the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
English Heritage, which manages the site, said it was “extremely upsetting” and said curators were investigating the damage. Just Stop Oil said the paint was made of cornstarch and would dissolve in the rain.
Video released by the group showed a man it identified as Rajan Naidu, 73, unleash a fog of orange from a fire extinguisher-style paint sprayer at one of the vertical stones.
As voices can be heard yelling “stop”, a person wearing a ball cap and raincoat ran up and grabbed Naidu’s arm and tried to pull him away from the monument.