Just Stop Oil activists who sprayed Stonehenge with orange powder cleared of criminal damage
Three Just Stop Oil activists who attended a protest where orange dust was sprayed at Stonehenge have been found not guilty of criminal damage and public nuisance.
This followed a hearing at Salisbury Crown Court, where they cited human rights law in their defence.
Then Oxford University students Niamh Lynch, 23, and Rajan Naidu, 74, were accused of using two color sprayers filled with cornmeal, talc and orange paint to spray the monument.
Salisbury Crown Court was told the pair (along with third activist Luke Watson, 36) targeted Stonehenge on the day before the 2024 summer solstice as part of the group Just Stop Oil’s ongoing fossil fuel protest.
Approximately 15,000 people would gather and celebrate at the monument.
Naidu and Lynch had crossed the border ropes and trespassed the area around the monument before launching the attack.
Watson had purchased the equipment used in the attack and taken his accomplice to Stonehenge that morning.
Prosecutors claimed the protest was “carefully planned” and filmed by other Just Stop Oil supporters, with the footage later made public.
Prosecutor Simon Jones said: “Simply put, we say they were all involved.
“The prosecution says this was a blatant and obvious act of vandalism. The purpose is undoubtedly to make a statement.”
After the attack, Naidu and Lynch, wearing white Just Stop Oil T-shirts, sat silently in front of the stones until they were arrested.
The court heard the stones were cleared immediately. The cost of removing the dust was £620.
Mr Jones added: “Stonehenge is probably the best-known and most architecturally advanced prehistoric stone circle in the world, built around 5,000 years ago.
“The site in Wiltshire is visited by members of the public from all over the world and provides both an educational and spiritual experience.
“The stones are a protected ancient monument.”
Each of the three defendants pleaded not guilty to charges of damaging a protected ancient monument and causing a public nuisance on June 19, 2024.
The latter is a new legal offense created by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which has sparked a wave of Bill the Bill protests across the country.
Each agreed to take part in the protest and in their defence, they claimed “reasonable excuse” and their rights to freedom of expression and freedom of protest under Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The defendants argued that this was a peaceful protest, that there was “no significant interference” with the rights of others, that care was taken in choosing the type of gunpowder to be used, that there was no permanent damage to the stones, and that the protest about fossil fuels was a legitimate reason.
In his legal instructions, Judge Paul Dugdale told the jury they needed to consider where the “balance” lay in the case and whether a conviction would be a “proportionate interference” with the defendants’ rights.
“In every society, there will be people whose thoughts we agree with and those whose thoughts we disagree with,” he said.
“The essence of a free society and freedom of expression is that everyone has the right to express their opinion, even if we disagree with what they say.
“If individuals disagree with what our government is doing on certain issues, they have the right to protest the government’s actions or inactions.
“All of this is the essence of our free society. This is how our society has developed over the centuries, and the truth is that we are very lucky to live in a free society.”
“There are times when the protection of freedom of expression and freedom of protest may mean that an activity that would otherwise be considered unlawful will be deemed lawful by a court for the purposes of protecting these rights.”
The jury found Naidu, of Gosford Street, Birmingham; Lynch, of Norfolk Road, Turvey, Bedford; and Watson, of The Street, Manuden, Essex, were found not guilty of both charges after six hours of deliberation.
