Vandalism of Stonehenge: Difference between revisions

Vandalism of Stonehenge
Part of the climate movement and Just Stop Oil protests
The vandalism of Stonehenge
Location	Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England
Coordinates	51°10′44.1″N 1°49′35″W / 51.178917°N 1.82639°W / 51.178917; -1.82639
Date	19 June 2024
Weapons	Orange paint made of corn starch
Perpetrators	Niamh Lynch and Rajan Naidu with Just Stop Oil
Motive	Demand the government end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.[1]

Stonehenge was vandalized on 19 June 2024, when climate protesters from Just Stop Oil damaged three of its standing stones by spraying them with orange paint. According to Just Stop Oil's website, the paint was made of an "orange cornflour" that would wash away in the rain.^[2][3][4] Several bystanders shouted at and attempted to stop the activists. The two activists who defaced the structure were promptly arrested by Wiltshire Police.

Just Stop Oil uploaded a video showing the defacement of the stones and the arrest of the activists involved and said that the activists "decorated" the stones to bring attention to the inability of the British government to "commit to defending our communities."

The group also said that the date of the protest one day prior to the summer solstice intentionally coincided with the planned gathering on that day. English Heritage called the defacement "extremely upsetting" and began an investigation to assess the damage caused by the paint.^[5] The English Heritage webpage for Stonehenge calls for visitors to respect the stones since they form a World Heritage Site, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and a place sacred to many.^[6] Just Stop Oil named the arrested protesters as 21-year-old student Niamh Lynch and 73-year-old Rajan Naidu.^[7][8][9]

The paint was removed the following day with an air blower to avoid damaging the stones.

Reactions

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called it a "disgraceful act of vandalism" to one of the UK's and the world's oldest and most significant monuments, and called on anyone associated with Just Stop Oil or who donated to them to condemn the act. Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer called the damage "outrageous" while deeming Just Stop Oil as "pathetic", demanding that the activists and anyone else involved with the act "face the full force of the law".^[10]

Archaeologist Mike Pitts expressed his strong concern over the potential damage, and said that the megaliths were fenced off and guarded to protect their surfaces, which were entirely covered in prehistoric markings that have not been fully analyzed. He also expressed concern about possible damage to the diverse lichen patterns on the megalith surfaces.^[11][12] By contrast, Just Stop Oil said that the paint would "wash away with the rain" due to the pigment made from corn that they utilized.^[10]

A Just Stop Oil spokesperson responded to the outrage by stating that continued government inaction would entitle Just Stop Oil activists to recruit other European activists to acts of resistance, vaguely specifying that, "Stone circles can be found in every part of Europe, showing how we've always cooperated across vast distances – we're building on that legacy."^[10]

References