Thanks to Keir Starmer, the Just Stop Oil ‘Stonehenge Three’ were in court today

Three Just Stop Oil supporters appeared in court on Friday 13 December after taking action at Stonehenge to demand that the UK government commit to working with other governments to agree an equitable plan to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030. Of course, the fact that the three activists are in court is probably in no small part down to Keir Starmer’s previous intervention.

Just Stop Oil: The Stonehenge Three

Niamh Lynch, 22, a student from Oxford and Rajan Naidu, 73, from Birmingham appeared at Salisbury Magistrates court charged with ‘destroying or damaging an ancient protected monument’, and ‘intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance’.

The pair sprayed orange cornstarch powder over the 5,000-year-old landmark to draw attention to the urgent need for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to phase out fossil fuels and to support dependent economies, workers and communities to move away from oil, gas and coal.

Luke Watson, 35, of Manuden, Bishop’s Stortford, will also appear, charged with one count of ‘aiding and abetting destruction or damage to an ancient protected monument’, and one count of ‘aiding, abetting the causing of a public nuisance’.

The English Heritage chief executive, Nick Merriman, told BBC Radio 4 after the action that there appeared to be “no visible damage” to Stonehenge.

But on 19 June the now-prime minister, Starmer, then leader of the opposition, posted on Twitter that “the damage done to Stonehenge is outrageous. Just Stop Oil are pathetic. Those responsible must face the full force of the law.”

A preposterous case

Niamh Lynch said:

I was born in 2002. When I was a few days old the global average temperature was 0.56 degrees C above pre industrial levels. Today, the global average temperature has shot past the safe limit of 1.5 degrees, which is triggering irreversible tipping points that threaten social collapse in my lifetime. We are seeing irreversible and permanent damage on an absolutely immeasurable scale.

I’m a conservationist and an ecologist. Everything I do is about protecting our home and the species we share with it. I had no intention of causing any damage to the stones (hence the use of cornstarch, not paint) or of causing any upset to the public. I simply wanted to draw attention to the crisis we are all facing.

The prosecution in the case maintains that an ‘orange substance of a chemical nature’ has harmed the stones and that widespread public shock and upset at seeing social media posts justifies the public nuisance charge.

Today’s court appearance comes after 95,000 UK homes experienced power cuts after Storm Darragh caused havoc to UK infrastructure. Climate scientists warn that severity of storms will increase as climate breakdown accelerates.

The case has been adjourned until 29 January and will be heard at Salisbury Crown Court.

Just Stop Oil will be stepping into action again in the new year. To join a talk or sign up for action register at juststopoil.org.

Featured image via Just Stop Oil