Moment Stonehenge blasted with paint by Just Stop Oil idiots as onlooker tries to drag them away – with two arrested
THIS is the moment Just Stop Oil idiots blasted Stonehenge with orange paint in their latest shocking stunt.
The yobs sprayed at least three of the ancient stone monoliths with what is believed to be orange powder paint at 11am this morning.
Footage shows a horrified onlooker desperately trying to drag the yobs away from the monument.
The vandals have been named as Niamh Lynch, 21, from Oxford, and Rajan Naidu, 73, from Birmingham.
Lynch and Naidu can be seen sitting cross-legged in front of the desecrated monument.
Two people have been arrested over the attack, Wiltshire Police confirmed.
The attack comes just a day before the Summer Solstice, when hundreds of people gather for celebrations at Stonehenge.
On the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone in the north east – and its first rays shine into the heart of Stonehenge.
PM Rishi Sunak said: “This is a disgraceful act of vandalism to one of the UK’s and the world’s oldest and most important monuments.
The Prime Minister added: “Just Stop Oil should be ashamed of their activists.
“They and anyone associated with them, including a certain Labour Party donor, should issue a condemnation of this shameful act immediately.”
English Heritage: “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.
A spokeswoman added: “Stonehenge remains open to the public.”
Earlier this month Just Stop Oil yobs tried to disrupt the Duke of Westminster’s wedding by blasting orange smoke.
The Prince of Wales, who was the groom’s usher, is understood to have been just yards away from the stunt.
Witness Rhona Dalziel, 57, said: “One of them had been reading a Richard Osman book. It’s bizarre.”
What is Stonehenge?
What you need to know about Britain's most mysterious monument...
- Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire
- It’s a ring of standing stones that measures up to 30 feet tall and is seven feet wide
- Each stone weighs roughly 25 tons
- Experts say that the monument was constructed between 3000 and 2000 BC
- In 1882, it was legally protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
- And in 1986, the site and surroundings became a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Stonehenge itself is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage
- But the land around Stonehenge is owned by the National Trust
- Part of what makes Stonehenge so mysterious is that it was produced by a culture with no written records
- Scientists regularly debate over how and why Stonehenge was built, and what it was used for
- One theory suggests Stonehenge was a sacred burial site
- Another proposes that it was used for celestial and astronomical alignments
- And some think it was an ancient place of healing
- It used to be believed that it was created as a Druid temple
- But we now know that Stonehenge predated the Druids by around 2000 years