Climate activists vandalize jets and Stonehenge as summer travel soars

Two activists from Just Stop Oil were arrested at London Stansted Airport for spray-painting private jets orange, following a similar incident at Stonehenge. The group aims to end fossil-fuel use by 2030, using nonviolent protests.

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Two climate activists were arrested on June 20 after cutting through a fence at a London airport and spray-painting private jets orange.

Essex police said two women were arrested in a private area of London Stansted Airport on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use or operation of national infrastructure.

Environmental group Just Stop Oil posted a video of someone cutting through a security fence followed by a clip of a woman using a fire extinguisher to spray orange paint on at least two private jets.

An airport spokesperson said the incident was three miles from the main terminal, and police said there was no threat to the public.

The airfield, 30 miles northeast of central London, is the city’s third busiest airport and is often used by government officials and visiting world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden.

Just Stop Oil said the airfield was where Taylor Swift’s jet was parked, but Essex police said the pop star’s aircraft was not at the airport.

Swift is doing three shows at London’s Wembley Stadium from June 21 to June 23.

The arrests come a day after two of the group’s activists were detained for spraying orange paint on Stonehenge.

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.

Nick Merriman, the chief executive of English Heritage, said experts cleaned the orange powder from the stones because they were concerned about how it might react to water.

A video released by the group showed a man it identified as Rajan Naidu, 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 ballcap and raincoat ran up and grabbed Mr. Naidu’s arm and tried to pull him away from the monument. A man in a blue shirt joined in and wrestled the paint sprayer away.

The second protester, identified as Niamh Lynch, managed to spray three stones before the first bystander in the hat stopped her.

Wiltshire Police said the pair were arrested on suspicion of damaging one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stonehenge was built on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain in stages starting 5,000 years ago, with the unique stone circle erected in the late Neolithic period about 2,500 B.C.

The group said it acted in response to the Labour Party’s recent election manifesto. Labour has said that if it wins the election on July 4, it would not issue further licenses for oil and gas exploration. Just Stop Oil backs the moratorium but said it is not enough.

In a statement, the group said Labour, which is leading in polls and widely expected by pundits and politicians to lead the next government, needs to go further and sign a treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.

“Continuing to burn coal, oil and gas will result in the death of millions,” the group said in a statement.

The publicity stunt was among a long line of disruptive acts by Just Stop Oil to draw attention to the climate crisis. The protests have halted sporting events, sullied famous works of art, and caused traffic jams. The acts have led to convictions, jail terms, and widespread criticism.

Just Stop Oil is one of many environmental groups around Europe that have received attention – and blowback – for drawing attention to global warming.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.