Vandalism – Stonehenge Sprayed With Orange Paint – Two People Arrested

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - On Wednesday, June 19, around midday, Just Stop Oil protesters sprayed orange paint on several stones at the ancient Stonehenge monument, dating back to the late Neolithic period. Video footage on social media showed two individuals wearing Just Stop Oil shirts running up to the monoliths with canisters and spraying paint over them.

Members of the public intervened in an attempt to stop the group from defacing the stones. One woman was seen trying to drag the protesters away before others joined in to assist her. The incident occurred just one day before thousands are expected to visit Stonehenge for the summer solstice celebration at this World Heritage site.

Just Stop Oil, the protest group responsible for the incident, identified the protesters as Niamh Lynch, a 21-year-old student from Oxford, and Rajan Naidu, a 73-year-old from Birmingham. Both individuals have been arrested by the police on suspicion of damaging the historical monument.

“Stonehenge is protected by the ancient monuments act and it is a criminal offence to damage the Stones. There are also multiple rare lichen species growing on the stones that are also protected. Expect a prison sentence,” Stonehenge UK wrote on X.

“Orange powdered paint has been thrown at a number of the stones at Stonehenge. Obviously, this is extremely upsetting and our curators are investigating the extent of the damage. Stonehenge remains open to the public,” an English Heritage spokesperson said.

Screenshot from Talk Tv video on YouTube.

“The orange cornflour we used will soon wash away with the rain, but the urgent need for effective government action to mitigate the catastrophic consequences of the climate and ecological crisis will not,” Just Stop Oil wrote on X.

This incident highlights the ongoing tensions between environmental activists and the preservation of cultural heritage sites, raising questions about the appropriate means of protest and the protection of ancient landmarks.

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer