Two activists from Britain’s Just Stop Oil painted Stonehenge orange on the eve of the solstice on Wednesday to protest against oil, coal and gas extraction.
Police have arrested two people on suspicion of damaging the ancient monument. A video released by environmental group Just Stop Oil shows two protesters running towards two Stonehenge megaliths and splashing paint while another man tries to stop them.
In a statement, Just Stop Oil said stone structures like Stonehenge are on every continent and people who focus on them don’t think enough about climate issues.
Stonehenge is a group of giant stones set in a circle around 2,500 BC on the Salisbury Plain. Its heaviest stones weigh 30-40 tonnes. The true purpose of the complex is still unknown. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986. On the days of the winter and summer solstices, as well as the spring and autumn equinoxes, people can visit the complex free of charge, being able to go inside and touch the boulders.
The Just Stop Oil group has become well known in Britain for its disruptive environmental protests: its activists have blocked major roads, disrupted cultural and sporting events and even poured soup on a Van Gogh painting.
