Just Stop Oil activists carried out a bold protest at Stonehenge, spraying the ancient stones with an orange powder made from cornflower and food dye. While this move, accomplished within the last month, gained worldwide media attention and raised interesting questions about the practice of climate activism and the protection of public heritage. The protest aimed to highlight the urgency of the climate crisis while ensuring that the integrity of the historic site was maintained.
Before going through with the act, the activists double-checked to ensure that the stones were non-porous and would not absorb the powder. The powder was removed soon after the incident at a cost of £620. Watson, Lynch, and Naidu were charged with felony injury to a public monument. In addition, they were charged with causing a public nuisance under section 78 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. They were eventually acquitted on all counts.
The government’s prosecution contended that Berger’s protest created “serious annoyance” to members of the public. For their part, Congress Lynch defended the public nuisance offence as “crazy” and a “bonkers” law. He expressed concern over the implications of criminalizing climate protests, stating, “If it was universally agreed that we should be pursuing every possible action to stop the climate crisis, we wouldn’t be needing to protest this.”
Naidu underscored a key component of their approach, an aim to avoid harming Stonehenge. He remarked on the legacy of their generation, stating, “Nobody will be here to look at the stones, whether they’re here or not.” Specifically, he continued to elaborate on how in 5,000 years, people will wonder what this generation’s imprint on the world was.
The activists emphasized both their pride in what they accomplished and their solidarity with one another. Watson, a 36-year-old carpenter involved in the protest, likened their demonstration to a “magic trick,” emphasizing that it served to draw attention to urgent issues.
“It’s a bit like a magic trick. Let’s say you’re a magician – you do the trick, or you cut the lady in half, but there’s a brief moment where everyone thinks that is what you did and that’s what gets the attention.” – Watson
Lynch, who is pursuing a master’s degree in ecology at the University of Exeter, questioned what future generations would think of their actions. He asked, “What will people living in 5,000 years’ time make of this generation?”
Countering the negative trope of climate activists as radicals, Naidu promised that they would be harmless. He stated, “We’re on the same side as David Attenborough, George Monbiot, Greta Thunberg, Jane Goodall – people who care, people who are peaceful.” To that end, he stressed that their aim is more than protests. They are smartly pushing for a fair and equitable transition to sustainable jobs and development that will sustain our children and grandchildren.
Despite encountering active legal opposition, the trio stood firm in their efforts to bring focused attention to climate change. They cast their move as a measured response to what they called a climate emergency.
“We want people to talk less about [Stonehenge] but to elide to the fossil fuel treaty, the climate and ecological crisis, the sixth mass extinction.” – Naidu