Another Just Stop Oil stunt has backfired after eco zealots broke into a VIP airfield at Stansted where they claimed Taylor Swift’s luxury jet was parked.
But airport officials have hit back at claims the popstar’s private plane was there, leaving the now-arrested intruders rather red (or orange) faced.
Yesterday, the headline-grabbing group targeted Stonehenge in Wiltshire by attacking the ancient monument with spray paint – leading Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to brand them ‘a disgrace’.
Far from raising awareness of climate change, their antics sparked widespread condemnation after it emerged the group could have irreparably damaged rare lichen that lives on the rock.
The action began shortly after 5am when the two protesters Jennifer Kowalski, 28, and Cole Macdonald, 22, cut into the private airfield and attacked jets using fire extinguishers filled with orange paint.
Video taken from the scene shows the two activists brazenly cutting through a wire fence at the perimeter of the airfield and crawling under to gain access.
Both protesters have since been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use of national infrastructure, Essex Police said.
Two Just Stop Oil activists have broken into a VIP private airfield at Stansted airport
The group say they spray painted aircraft ‘hours after Taylor Swift ‘s own jet arrived.’
Stansted airport have since confirmed that Taylor Swift’s jet was not in the vicinity
Video taken from the scene shows the two activists brazenly cutting through a wire fence at the perimeter of the airfield
The pair then proceed to spray paint a series of jets before sitting proudly in front of their vandalism and embracing in a smug hug.
Sharing their breaking and entering on social media, a spokesman for the group ‘justified’ the action by declaring that ‘80% of the population had never taken a flight.’
MailOnline understands the pair have since been arrested and has approached Essex Police for information.
Speaking before the stunt, Jennifer Kowalski, 28, who describes herself as a full time JSO activist on Linked In claimed she ‘had to take desperate measures to make her voice heard.’
It is the latest in a series of attention seeking stunts the group has foisted on the public this summer.
Yesterday, members of the public were forced to intervene after two Just Stop Oil protesters sprayed Stonehenge with orange paint sparking widespread condemnation.
The pair then proceed to spray paint a series of jets before sitting proudly in front of their vandalism and embracing in a smug hug
It is the latest in a series of attention seeking stunts the group has foisted on the public this summer
Video footage posted on social media showed two people, wearing white shirts with Just Stop Oil emblazoned on the front, running up to the ancient monoliths with canisters and spraying paint all over them.
In a heroic attempt to stop the group desecrating the stones, one woman was seen desperately trying to drag the protesters away before other members of the public piled in to help her.
The protesters, who were named as Niamh Lynch, 21, a student from Oxford, and Rajan Naidu, 73, from Birmingham, have now been arrested by police on suspicion of damaging the historical monument.
As police officers led the pair away, one man could be heard shouting: ‘You dirty scum. This is a temple, not a publicity stunt!’
Several stones – dating back to the late Neolithic period – were covered during the incident, which happened at around 12pm today, the day before the summer solstice is celebrated at Stonehenge, which is the heart of a World Heritage site.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has condemned the attack as a ‘disgraceful act of vandalism to one of the UK’s and the world’s oldest and most important monuments.’
Just Stop Oil protesters have sprayed Stonehenge with orange paint in their latest stunt
Video footage posted on social media showed two people wearing white shirts with Just Stop Oil on running up to the monoliths with canisters spraying paint
Members of the public were seen trying to prevent the protesters by dragging them away
Several stones were covered in the substance before the protesters stopped and sat cross legged on the grass
The Prime Minister continued: ‘Just Stop Oil should be ashamed of their activists, and they and anyone associated with them, including a certain Labour Party donor, should issue a condemnation of this shameful act immediately.’
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said ‘Just Stop Oil are pathetic’ after activists from the group targeted Stonehenge.
In a tweet, he wrote: ‘The damage done to Stonehenge is outrageous. Just Stop oil are pathetic. Those responsible must face the full force of the law.’
Historian Tom Holland, who has previously hailed Stonehenge as one of Europe’s most precious prehistoric sites, also criticised the attack.
He wrote on X: ‘Parade your concern for the planet by destroying endangered lichens. Sympathy transmuted into utter loathing.’
Wiltshire Police said officers had attended the scene and arrested two people.
A spokesman added: ‘At around noon, we responded to a report that orange paint had been sprayed on some of the stones by two suspects.
‘Officers attended the scene and arrested two people on suspicion of damaging the ancient monument.
‘Our inquiries are ongoing, and we are working closely with English Heritage.’
