By Tim Binnall
A pair of environmental activists caused quite the scene at Stonehenge on Wednesday when they brazenly blasted the beloved monument with orange powder paint. The jaw-dropping act of protest was reportedly committed by members of the group 'Just Stop Oil,' which posted footage (seen above) of the audacious incident on social media. In the video, one of the activists can be seen running up to a standing stone while holding a canister emitting an orange cloud. The protestor is soon joined by a cohort carrying a similar device and the duo manages to tag three of the monument's stones before they are stopped by aghast tourists who had been standing nearby.
The protestors, later identified as Rajan Naidu and Niamh Lynch, were subsequently arrested and charged with damaging an ancient monument. As one might imagine, many prominent British politicians condemned the attack on the iconic site with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reportedly calling it "a disgraceful act of vandalism to one of the UK’s and the world’s oldest and most important monuments." His words were echoed by King Arthur Pendragon, a prominent druid who has previously tangled with the Stonehenge caretakers and declared that "as a well-known protester myself, I totally disapprove of such behavior as demonstrated by these people, who do nothing to enhance and everything to alienate any sympathy anyone has or had for their cause."
Fortunately, it would appear that the protest did not permanently scar the monument as English Heritage, which oversees Stonehenge, announced that they had removed the orange material and "there appears to be no visible damage." While Just Stop Oil insisted that the cornstarch-based powder would harmlessly wash away in the rain, it would seem that the caretakers were not taking any chances as they brought in experts to carefully clean the stones. The somewhat freshly polished monument is now ready for its big moment on Friday when hundreds will gather at the site for the annual summer solstice sunrise celebration.