British authorities have confirmed the arrest of two eco-activists at Heathrow Airport in London on Tuesday. The people affiliated with Just Stop Oil group were detained after they sprayed orange paint on passenger information screens and various airport installations.
Video posted on the Just Stop Oil account on X (ex-Twitter) seems to depict two activists applying orange paint to passenger information screens, windows, and floors of the airport, utilizing pressurized paint from two containers that resemble fire extinguishers.
Just Stop Oil stated that this action was intended to disrupt airport operations during the summer holiday period, aligning with their campaign to eliminate the use of fossil fuels by the year 2030.
The organization stated on their website that the stunt was a part of a broader global initiative called ‘Oil Kills’, aimed at reducing the consumption of fossil fuels by the end of the decade.
One of the arrested vandals, Phoebe Plummer, was on conditional bail granted earlier following a Southwark judge’s ruling that she was responsible for the criminal damage to Vincent van Gogh’s famous ‘Sunflowers’ painting during a stunt in 2022. According to local media reports, she was prohibited from possessing paint, glue, or any adhesive material in a public area, as one of the bail terms.
According to media reports, 21 groups from 12 countries have already participated in similar actions at 18 airports. As a result of these incidents, numerous flights had to be either cancelled or rerouted in airports throughout Europe, where activists had attached themselves to runways and carried out various other disruptive activities.
The Metropolitan Police in London reported earlier that ten activists from Just Stop Oil were arrested outside Heathrow last week and charged with “conspiring to interfere with key national infrastructure.” According to the police, “Eight individuals were remanded in custody while two were released on bail.”
Just Stop Oil’s most recent act of vandalism occurred a fortnight following an incident where two members defaced the historic Stonehenge monument in southwest England with orange paint.
The group has also engaged in other attention-grabbing acts, such as throwing soup at valuable artworks and attaching themselves to paintings.
