Three Just Stop Oil activists who used fire extinguishers to spray Stonehenge with orange powder targeted the monument for “maximum impact”, a jury has heard. The attack, which took place in June last year, was timed just before the summer solstice when thousands gather at the Wiltshire site.
Prosecutor Simon Jones told Salisbury Crown Court that the monument is “arguably the best recognised and architecturally sophisticated prehistoric stone circle in the world”, visited by people from across the globe for educational and spiritual purposes. He said the action left visitors shocked, upset, and angry.
The defendants – Rajan Naidu, 74, Niamh Lynch, 22, and Luke Watson, 36 – each deny damaging an ancient protected monument and causing a public nuisance. The court heard Naidu and Lynch crossed boundary ropes and sprayed stones with a mixture of cornflour, talc, and fluorescent orange dye, while Watson allegedly drove them to the site and encouraged the act.
Witness Savinder Chanhan said in a statement: “I was shocked by the actions of these people and what they did.” Visitor assistant Bethany Hocking described Stonehenge as a “spiritual place” for her. Custodians feared the substance could cake on if wet, and cleaning cost £620.
Body-worn police footage showed Naidu and Lynch sitting before the stones after the attack, with Naidu handing officers a note reading: “Fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty now!” Naidu told police the powder was “totally safe and utterly harmless” and would blow away in the wind. Lynch said she was protesting fossil fuel burning, while Watson made no comment.
