Climate activists attack case with original Magna Carta in London

Two environmental activists have targeted the original Magna Carta in the UK during a protest to raise awareness of climate change.

The Rev. Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, a retired biology teacher, were both arrested after attacking a display case containing the historic document at the British Library in London on Friday, London’s Metropolitan Police said.

Video of the incident showed the two protesters from Just Stop Oil, a U.K.-based environmental group, hitting the casing with a hammer and chisel, causing minor damage. The Magna Carta remained intact.

“The Magna Carta is rightly revered as it is deeply important to our history, our freedoms and our laws,” the duo said in a statement following their protest. “But there will be no freedom, no lawfulness, no rights if we allow climate collapse to become the catastrophe that now threatens.”

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The climate activists Reverend Dr. Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, broke pieces of the reinforced case containing an original text of Magna Carta at the British Library in London, Britain, on May 10, 2024. (Just Stop Oil/via REUTERS)

The duo and their group want to end the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.

“This famous document is about the rule of law and the fight against abuse of power,” Bruce is heard saying during their demonstration. “Our government is breaking its own laws on climate change.”

Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, were arrested after their protest on May 10, 2024 in London, United Kingdom. (Just Stop Oil/via REUTERS)

In the video, Parfitt added: “As a Christian, I am compelled to do everything I can to alleviate the terrible suffering that is coming and is already here. Whatever it takes, whatever it costs. That’s why we simply have to stop producing oil.”

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The library’s security team intervened and disrupted the demonstration to prevent further damage to the case.

The library said the Treasures Gallery will remain closed until further notice.

The British Library said the Treasures Gallery would remain closed until further notice. (Tolga Akmen/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The exhibition “Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy” opened on March 12, 2015 at the British Library in London, England. (Tolga Akmen/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The Magna Carta is a 13th-century English treaty that stated that no one was above the law. It is considered one of the founding documents of Western democracy.

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There are only four original texts of the document: two of them are held in the British Library, one is in Salisbury Cathedral and the other is in Lincoln Castle.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.