Stonehenge covered in powder paint by Just Stop Oil protesters

A part of Stonehenge has been lined in orange powder paint by protesters.

Two Simply Cease Oil campaigners sprayed the powder paint on the historic website close to Salisbury, Wiltshire, at about 12:00 BST on Wednesday.

The transfer comes the day earlier than celebrations start for the Summer time Solstice on the 5,000-year-old landmark.

Wiltshire Police confirmed two folks had been arrested on suspicion of damaging the traditional monument.

Simply Cease Oil mentioned the orange powder paint was cornflour and it might “wash away with rain”.

The group named the 2 protesters as Niamh Lynch, a 21-year-old scholar from Oxford, and Rajan Naidu, a 73-year-old from Birmingham, in an announcement.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the incident as a “disgraceful act of vandalism”.

Chief of the Labour Social gathering Sir Keir Starmer mentioned the injury was “outrageous” and described Simply Cease Oil as “pathetic”.

Members of the general public had been heard shouting “no” and seen working to intervene because the campaigners ran as much as the stone circle on the Unesco world heritage website.

A spokeswoman for English Heritage described the spraying of the monument as “extraordinarily upsetting” and confirmed the positioning remained open to the general public.

She mentioned the incident wouldn’t have an effect on the annual summer time solstice, with celebrations nonetheless deliberate to happen in a single day on Thursday.

BBC correspondent, Paul Clifton, the primary reporter to get to the scene shortly after the incident, mentioned the three stones closest to the general public path had been “splattered” with the powder.

He added that lots of the vacationers visiting the monument had been “barely bemused”.

“Stonehenge managers and safety guards are standing by the trail,” he mentioned.

“I’ve heard a suggestion that as a result of it’s powder paint and the climate is dry and sunny, it could maybe be eliminated with out lasting injury, however they are going to want consultants to examine the stone earlier than forming an opinion.”

Simply Cease Oil mentioned the motivation behind the incident was to demand the subsequent UK authorities finish the extraction and burning of oil, fuel and coal by 2030.

A spokesperson for the group mentioned: “Persevering with to burn coal, oil and fuel will consequence within the demise of thousands and thousands.

“We now have to come back collectively to defend humanity or we danger all the pieces.”

Mark Verbinnen, councillor for Amesbury East and Bulford, arrived on the website a couple of minutes after the incident.

He mentioned many members of workers on the website had been left “shaken”, significantly one who tried to deal with a protester.

Mike Pitts, archaeologist and writer of Learn how to Construct Stonehenge, mentioned the affect of the motion was “doubtlessly fairly regarding”.

He mentioned: “The monument has been fenced off for many years and the megaliths’ surfaces are protected.

“They’re delicate and they’re fully lined in prehistoric markings which stay to be absolutely studied and any floor injury to the stones is massively regarding.

“A wealthy backyard of life has grown on the megaliths, an distinctive lichen backyard has grown. So it’s doubtlessly fairly regarding.”

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police mentioned: “We responded to a report that orange paint had been sprayed on among the stones by two suspects.

“Our enquiries are ongoing and we’re working carefully with English Heritage.”