On Wednesday, UK police apprehended two individuals, including an Indian-origin man, for spraying an orange substance on Stonehenge, the famous prehistoric UNESCO World Heritage Site in England.
Rajan Naidu, aged 73, an environmental activist, is affiliated with Just Stop Oil, a group notorious for its disruptive protests.
Social media videos showed Naidu and other activists, clad in 'Just Stop Oil' branded T-shirts, spraying orange powder paint on the iconic megalithic standing stones. Their actions were part of a demand for the next British government to make a legal commitment to phasing out fossil fuels by the year 2030.
In addition to Naidu, the police also arrested Niamh Lynch, a 21-year-old student, as reported by the environmental group.
Just Stop Oil claimed that the paint used was "orange cornflour," which they asserted would wash away with the rain. However, experts managing the heritage site are currently investigating "the extent of the damage," according to an AFP report.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the incident, describing it as a "disgraceful act of vandalism."
Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party, also criticized the act, calling the damage "outrageous" and referring to Just Stop Oil as "pathetic."
Just Stop Oil activists have a history of engaging in similar disruptive actions. They have previously shut down major roads, interrupted cultural and sporting events, and even thrown soup at a Van Gogh painting.
