On Wednesday, June 19, two environmental protesters who sprayed orange paint on the ancient Stonehenge monument in Southern England were arrested, covering some of the stones of the prehistoric megalithic structure on the eve of the summer solstice celebrations.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak immediately denounced the most recent action of Just Stop Oil, calling it a "disgraceful act of vandalism."
The monument is a popular tourist destination in Britain and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
English Heritage, which manages the UNESCO World Heritage Site, described the incident as "extremely upsetting" and said curators were investigating the damage.
Stonehenge was built on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain in stages starting 5,000 years ago, with a unique stone circle built around 2,500 BC during the late Neolithic period.
On Thursday, June 20, thousands will visit the location to celebrate the summer solstice.
The video posted on X, formerly Twitter, showed two people sprinting toward the 4,500-year-old stone circle and spewing orange pigment plumes as a third person tried to stop them. A few stones were smeared in orange.
According to Just Stop Oil's website, the pigment was made of an "orange cornflour" that would wash away in the rain.
Just Stop Oil is one of several groups around Europe that have gained attention and have received massive backlash for interfering with athletic events, splattering food and paint on well-known artwork, and stopping traffic to raise awareness of global warming.
The group said the two insisted on the new UK administration pledging to collaborate with other governments to phase out the use of coal, gas, and oil by 2030.
In a statement, a Just Stop Oil spokesperson said that continuing to burn coal, oil, and gas will result in the death of millions. The spokesperson claimed that they must come together to defend humanity or risk everything.
