Two arrested after campaigners stage Stonehenge protest

Two people have been arrested after protested used orange powder paint on the prehistoric Stonehenge monument in England.

Video footage posted on social media by Just Stop Oil showed two people wearing white shirts with Just Stop Oil on running up to the prehistoric monoliths with canisters spraying paint.

Members of the public were seen trying to prevent the protesters by dragging them away.

Several stones were covered in the substance before one protester stopped and sat cross-legged on the grass while another was dragged away by a woman.

The group said the protesters – Niamh Lynch, 21, a student from Oxford, and Rajan Naidu, 73, from Birmingham – sprayed Stonehenge with “powder paint” at around 11am.

A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said: “The UK’s government in waiting has committed to enacting Just Stop Oil’s original demand of ‘no new oil and gas’. However, we all know this is not enough. Continuing to burn coal, oil and gas will result in the death of millions.

“We have to come together to defend humanity or we risk everything. That’s why Just Stop Oil is demanding that our next government sign up to a legally-binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.

“Failure to commit to defending our communities will mean Just Stop Oil supporters, along with citizens from Austria, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and Switzerland, will join in resistance this summer, if their own governments do not take meaningful action.

“Stone circles can be found in every part of Europe showing how we’ve always co-operated across vast distances – we’re building on that legacy.”

A spokeswoman for English Heritage described the spraying of paint at Stonehenge as “extremely upsetting”.

She said: “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.”