Addis Ababa, June 20, 2024 (Addis Walta) The Stonehenge, prehistoric stone monument, and archaeological site in southern England is vandalized by two protesters.
Two people from Just Stop Oil campaign sprayed the powder paint on some of the megaliths of the UNESCO world heritage site on Wednesday.
The protesters who dusted powder on the 5,000-year-old landmark identified as Niamh Lynch, a 21-year-old student from Oxford, and Rajan Naidu, a 73-year-old from Birmingham, were arrested.
Just Stop Oil which campaigned to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030, said the orange powder paint was cornflour and it would “wash away with rain”.
The damage caused by the act is yet under investigation by the English Heritage and other experts in the field.
The motive of the action was said to demand the UK government to end extraction and burning of coal, oil and gas by 2030.
UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, called the action “disgraceful act of vandalism” while leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer described Just Stop Oil as “pathetic”.
The action has faced a strong condemnation from the public, media and heritage authority, per BBC.