(London) Two activists from the environmental organization Just Stop Oil were arrested on Wednesday for spraying paint on the monoliths of the famous English prehistoric site of Stonehenge, which is preparing to welcome thousands of visitors for the summer solstice, announced the police and the group.
A video circulating on social media shows two men rushing towards the massive stones forming a circle at this site in south-west England, spraying a cloud of orange powder in their direction with bombs, while people try to push them away.
In a statement, Wiltshire Police said they were alerted around 12 p.m. (7 a.m. Eastern) of paint being thrown at the monoliths.
“Officers attended the scene and arrested two people suspected of damaging the monument,” she said.
Just Stop Oil, which calls for an end to the exploitation of fossil fuels by 2030, took responsibility for the action, stressing that it had used powder paint.
This substance “will soon wash away with the rain, but not the urgent need for effective government action to mitigate the catastrophic consequences of the climate and ecological crisis,” the organization explained on X.
Its standing stones forming a set of mysterious circles attract thousands of people every year for the pagan solstice festivals.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak denounced “a shameful act of vandalism against one of the oldest and most important monuments in the UK and the world”.
The outgoing Conservative government is up in arms against the shock actions of Just Stop Oil, which has also recently vandalized works of art, disrupted sporting events and interrupted shows.
He tightened the law governing the right to demonstrate in an attempt to prevent his actions.
Labor leader Keir Starmer, favorite to become prime minister after the July 4 legislative elections, also said he was opposed to this organization’s method of action.
