Just Stop Oil activists cover Stonehenge in orange paint

Climate protesters have doused Stonehenge in orange paint on the eve of the summer solstice.

- ATHENA STAVROU

Two Just Stop Oil activists began spraying rocks at the ancient site at around noon yesterday. Thousands of visitors are expected to descend on the site today to celebrate the longest day of the year.

The attack has been met with condemnation by the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who said the group should be “ashamed” of the “disgraceful act of vandalism”. The group took action to draw attention to their demand that the next government sign up to a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.

Video footage of the protest shows two people in Just Stop Oil Tshirts, named by the group as Rajan Naidu, 73, and Niamh Lynch, 21, running towards the ancient structure with canisters of orange powder paint. As they begin spraying the rocks, calls for them to stop can be heard from onlookers as other visitors chase after them attempting to take their canisters away.

Ms Lynch, a student from Oxford, said: “Stonehenge at solstice is all about celebrating the natural world – but look at the state it’s in! We all have a right to live a life free from suffering, but continued burning of oil, coal and gas is leading to death and suffering on an unparalleled scale.