Two Just Stop Oil protesters sprayed orange powder paint over Stonehenge on Wednesday. As the two protesters sprayed the site’s stones, tourists viewing the monument attempted to physically restrain them. This occurred the day before the summer solstice, an important day marked by large crowds gathering at Stonehenge. By pulling this kind of stunt, Just Stop Oil has defaced a vital piece of our human heritage and only harmed its own political movement.
Stonehenge’s initial construction began over 5,000 years ago, in about 3700 BC. There is evidence of human use and construction continuously over the next 2,000 years. Neolithic workers dragged some of Stonehenge’s megalithic stones more than 150 miles from their quarries. Though its original use is debated by historians and archaeologists, many graves important to research have been found at the site.
Since Stonehenge’s transfer to public ownership in 1918, a significant amount of effort has been put into the monument’s preservation. Conservationists have straightened and re-erected its stones several times to more closely match the site’s original state. Just a few years ago, work teams replaced mortar between the stones to prevent damage to the monument.
But despite all the effort put into constructing and preserving this monument, Just Stop Oil‘s fanatics felt they were entitled to desecrate it as a political stunt. A spokesperson for the organization 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. … 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.”
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The British public has negatively responded to Just Stop Oil’s past political stunts. When polled in 2023, 64% of respondents stated they held an unfavorable view of Just Stop Oil. This recent defacement will only worsen the organization’s public perception. Conservative and Labour Party leaders have denounced the action. Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the incident was a “disgraceful act of vandalism,” while Labour leader Keir Starmer said, “Just Stop Oil are pathetic.”
Rather than defiling precious pieces of history, perhaps Just Stop Oil should start asking themselves hard questions about their political program. Is it possible to end fossil fuel usage by 2030? Would that even help the United Kingdom? But perhaps this is asking too much of the Just Stop Oil protesters, who should keep their fingerpainting to themselves.