Two environmental activists were charged with spraying orange paint powder at the Stonehenge monuments in June, according to AP News.
Wiltshire Police reported on Thursday that Rajan Naidu, 73, and Niamh Lynch, 22, were charged with “destroying or damaging an ancient protected monument, and intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance.” They are due to appear at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court on 13 December.
Shortly after spray painting the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Just Stop Oil group claimed responsibility. The group also released a video of a man identified as Naidu spraying orange mist from a fire extinguisher onto one of the stones. A second protester, identified as Lynch, sprayed three stones before she was stopped. According to the report, the paint is made of cornstarch and will dissolve in the rain.
Following the protest, English Heritage, a charity that manages hundreds of historic sites, said experts quickly removed the orange powder from the stones. The publicity stunt was part of disruptive actions by Just Stop Oil to draw attention to the climate crisis.
Stonehenge was built on a windswept plain in southern England in stages, beginning 5,000 years ago. Its origins and purpose remain a mystery, although the stone circle coincides with sunrise on the summer solstice and sunset on the winter solstice.
