The World Snooker Championship was interrupted on Monday evening when a Just Stop Oil activist poured orange powder paint over a table at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The incident forced a 24-hour suspension of the match between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry.
Milkins was leading 11-0 in the early stages of the opening frame when a man ran from the crowd, jumped onto the table, and emptied the powder. Security guards removed the activist within 12 seconds, but the damage was done. A female protester also attempted to glue herself to the other table during the match between Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi, but was stopped by referee Olivier Marteel.
Play was suspended immediately as vacuum cleaners were brought in, with master of ceremonies Rob Walker helping to clean up. World Snooker later confirmed the table cloth was damaged beyond repair and would be replaced overnight. The Milkins-Perry match will resume on Tuesday at 7pm, with the venue opening early on Thursday for the conclusion of the first-round tie. The Allen-Fan match resumed after about 45 minutes.
Just Stop Oil issued a statement saying the protesters demanded the government stop all new UK fossil fuel projects and called on sporting institutions to engage in civil resistance. Former world champion Stephen Hendry, on BBC commentary, said: 'I have never seen that before at a snooker event. It’s a first. It caught us all by surprise.'
The protest comes two days after 118 animal rights protesters were arrested at the Grand National, raising concerns about copycat incidents in sport.
