A third person has been charged in relation to a June protest at Stonehenge, during which the ancient monument was sprayed with orange powder. The direct action was staged by the environmental group ‘Just Stop Oil’.
Luke Watson, 35, of Manuden, near Stansted Airport in Essex, was charged with damaging or destroying a protected monument and a public nuisance offence, Wiltshire Police said. Watson is due to appear at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court on December 13.
The incident happened on June 19, a day before the Summer Solstice, when thousands of visitors traditionally come to Stonehenge to celebrate. Activists stormed the site, asking the UK government to take more radical action against fossil fuel use.
Two others, Rajan Naidu, 73, of Birmingham, and Niamh Lynch, 22, of Bedford, were charged earlier this month. Both were accused of similar offences and are due to appear in court on December 13.
The orange powder painted on the stones was quickly cleaned off by the English Heritage experts, ensuring that no permanent damage was done to the prehistoric site, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the UK’s most iconic landmarks.
In a statement, Just Stop Oil characterized it as part of a larger campaign to force the UK government to commit to an ‘immediately workable’ legally binding plan to cease the use of fossil fuels by 2030. The group said the action was to show the urgency of climate action.
The charges come amid increasing scrutiny of Just Stop Oil’s climate protests. The company has been known to carry out a series of high-profile disruptions at cultural and public landmarks. Among the recent actions, they have thrown soup at a Van Gogh painting, defaced a Pablo Picasso work, and glued themselves to a Turner masterpiece.
Protesters have been hit with legal repercussions, including court orders and bans on protests. Yet others have been cleared of all charges, showing the divided public and legal reactions to the group’s methods.
The protests have also engendered a cultural backlash. UK museum and gallery directors have urged an end to disruptive demonstrations out of concern for potential harm to invaluable works of art and heritage.
The test will come on the right of balance to protest against the protection of historic sites. For Just Stop Oil, the protest represents a continuation of their mission: to push climate change into the public and political spotlight, no matter the controversy it provokes.
Top Photo Courtesy: Niamh Lynch and Rajan Naidu of Just Stop Oil spray orange powder paint on the Stonehenge monument.