Climate activists arrested for spraying private jets orange at London airport

LONDON (AP) — Two climate activists were arrested Thursday after cutting through a fence at a London airport and spray-painting private jets orange.

According to Essex Police, two women were arrested in a private area of ​​London Stansted Airport on suspicion of criminal damage and disrupting the use or operation of national infrastructure.

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

An airport spokesman said the incident occurred five kilometers from the main terminal and police said there was no danger to the public.

Located 50 kilometers northeast of central London, the airport is the city’s third-busiest and is frequently used by government officials and leading politicians on state and government visits, including U.S. President Joe Biden.

According to Just Stop Oil, Taylor Swift’s jet was parked at the airfield, but Essex Police said the pop star’s plane was not at the airport. Swift is performing three concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium from Friday to Sunday.

The arrests came a day after two activists from the group were arrested for spraying orange paint on Stonehenge.

Just Stop Oil is one of numerous environmental groups across Europe that have attracted attention – and backlash – for disrupting sporting events, splattering famous works of art with paint and food, and disrupting traffic to raise awareness of global warming.