Last June, three climate campaigners who used Just Stop oil dyed Stonehenge bright orange were later acquitted of criminal damage.
Luke Watson, Rajan Naidu and Niamh Lynch were acquitted by a jury at Salisbury Crown Court on Friday, October 31. “Life and survival take precedence over greed and profit! We need a global fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty now,” Naidu reportedly said after the jury’s decision. The Art Newspaper.
Watson was charged with one count of aiding, abetting and consulting and/or procuring, destroying or damaging an ancient protected monument. Naidoo and Lynch were each charged with destroying or damaging ancient protected monuments and causing a public nuisance.
During the trial, the defendants stated that they enjoyed freedom of expression and freedom of protest under Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. They also noted that there was no lasting damage to the stone.
“This is an important decision on issues such as the right to protest, the right to free speech, compared with the right to be free from public harassment at a World Heritage site. It is a decision that is difficult to weigh,” Judge Paul Dugdale said in his summing-up.
Nick Merriman, chief executive of English Heritage, said: “Thankfully there does not appear to have been any visible damage to Stonehenge, but this by no means means there was no harm done, from the act of clearing the stones themselves to the distress caused to the people who hold the spiritual significance of Stonehenge.” CNN in a statement.
In June 2024, activists targeted the prehistoric structure, covering some of the stones with a mixture of cornmeal, talcum powder and orange dye. The aim of the action is to call on the next UK government to sign a “legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030”, as the organization said in a statement.
“Either we end the fossil fuel era, or the fossil fuel era will end us,” Naidu said at the time. “Just as fifty years ago, when the world used international treaties to neutralize the threat posed by nuclear weapons, today the world needs a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to phase out fossil fuels and support economies, workers and communities that rely on oil, natural gas and coal.”
The cost of removing the substance from the surface of the stone is £620 ($815).
