Two women in their 80s have been charged after the Magna Carta display case was attacked

Two women in their 80s have been charged with criminal damage after the glass surrounding the Magna Carta at the British Library was attacked.

Reverend Sue Parfitt, 82, from Bristol, and Judith Bruce, 85, from Swansea, were arrested on Friday morning and charged with criminal damage, the Metropolitan Police said.

On Friday morning, two demonstrators aimed a hammer and chisel at the protective fence around the historical document.

Just Stop Oil said the pair then held up a sign reading “The government is breaking the law” before taping themselves to the display.

A statement from the British Library said its security team “intervened to prevent further damage to the case, which was minimal” and “the Magna Carta itself remains undamaged.”

The gallery in which the exhibition is housed is closed until further notice, it said.

The pair were released on bail and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 20.