A pair of climate protesters were arrested on Wednesday at the Stonehenge monument after they sprayed the 5,000-year-old rocks with orange paint, police said.
The protesters, 21-year-old Niamh Lynch and 73-year-old Rajan Naidu, are part of Just Stop Oil, a group that says it wants the British government to “establish a legally binding treaty to stop extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030” alongside other nations.
With a national election set for July 4, Just Stop Oil is demanding that the incoming government take action to “phase out” fossil fuels within a six-year period.
The paint is allegedly cornstarch-based, and is supposed to wash away in the rain, although the area is not expected to see rain before the weekend.
The monument receives a swell of visitors each summer solstice. This year’s solstice is Thursday.
Lynch and Naidu were stopped by concerned bystanders, who took their canisters of paint, leaving them to sit cross-legged in front of the monument.
“Our enquiries are ongoing, and we are working closely with English Heritage,” Wiltshire police said in a statement, referring to the charity that manages historic sites around the UK.
Just Stop Oil issued a statement on Wednesday acknowledging that the Labour Party has committed to stopping future oil and gas drilling licenses if they win.
“However, we all know this is not enough,” a spokesperson said. “Continuing to burn coal, oil and gas will result in the death of millions. We have to come together to defend humanity or we risk everything.”
Lynch, a student from Oxford, said in a statement: “Stonehenge at solstice is all about celebrating the natural world — but look at the state it’s in! We all have a right to live a life free from suffering, but continued burning of oil, coal and gas is leading to death and suffering on an unparalleled scale.”
Naidu, who is from Birmingham, added: “Either we end the fossil fuel era, or the fossil fuel era will end us.”