2 climate activists arrested after spraying orange paint on Stonehenge: NPR

In this photo, Just Stop Oil protesters sit after spraying an orange substance on Stonehenge in Salisbury, England, on Wednesday. (Just Stop Oil via AP)

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Two climate activists were arrested in Stonehenge, England, after spraying the famous historical landmark with orange paint.

The group Just Stop Oil claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s action, saying it was a call for the UK to end the use of fossil fuels by 2030.

“The continued burning of coal, oil and gas will cost millions of lives. We must join forces to protect humanity or risk everything,” says a press release from Just Stop Oil.

The group said the orange cornstarch used for the monument was being washed away by rain.

The two activists responsible are 21-year-old Oxford University student Niamh Lynch and 73-year-old Birmingham resident Rajan Naidu.

Wiltshire Police confirmed that officers have arrested two people on suspicion of damaging Stonehenge.

The action took place just one day before the summer solstice – the longest day of the year – when thousands of people are expected to take over the historic monument.

English Heritage, the organization that manages Stonehenge, said in a post on X that the site remains open, saying the incident was “extremely disturbing” and that curators were assessing the extent of the damage.

In a press release, Just Stop Oil said it would not be enough for the UK to stop issuing oil and gas licenses. The organisation called on the British government to sign a legally binding agreement banning it from extracting and burning oil, gas and coal by 2030.

British politicians immediately condemned the demonstration.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Just Stop Oil is a disgrace.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer, who is running against Sunak in the upcoming election, described the damage to Stonehenge as “outrageous”. Starmer called Just Stop Oil “pathetic” and said those responsible for the action “must face the full force of the law”.

This is the latest public protest initiated by activists from the organisation Just Stop Oil, whose members have already interrupted tennis matches at Wimbledon and the London Pride parade and defaced classical works of art.