Two Just Stop Oil activists have broken their silence in an exclusive interview, defending their decision to spray the ancient Stonehenge monument with orange powder in a dramatic climate protest that captured global attention.
Niamh Lynch, a 21-year-old Oxford University student, and Rajan Naidu, 73, expressed no regret for their actions during the June demonstration, insisting they felt compelled to take drastic measures to highlight the climate emergency.
'We Had to Make People Listen'
'When you see what's happening to our planet and how little our government is doing, you reach a point where you have no choice,' Lynch told The Guardian. 'We tried petitions, we tried marches, we tried writing to MPs. Stonehenge was our way of making people actually listen.'
The activists, who now face potential prison sentences after being found guilty of criminal damage, described the moment they approached the 5,000-year-old stones with fire extinguishers filled with orange cornflour.
The Day That Shocked the World
On June 19th, the pair bypassed security measures at the UNESCO World Heritage site during summer solstice celebrations, creating dramatic images that spread across international media within hours.
Naidu, a retired teacher from Birmingham, explained his motivation: 'At my age, I think about what kind of world I'm leaving for my grandchildren. When history looks back at this moment, I want them to know that some of us tried everything we could to wake people up.'
Mixed Public Reaction and Legal Consequences
The protest sparked intense debate across the UK, with reactions ranging from outrage to support:
- Heritage organisations condemned the damage to ancient monuments
- Climate activists praised the bold attention-grabbing tactics
- Politicians called for stricter sentences for protestors
- Archaeologists confirmed the powder caused no permanent damage
Both activists were found guilty of criminal damage at Salisbury magistrates court and now await sentencing, with the prosecution seeking custodial sentences under new protest laws.
The Future of Climate Protest
When asked if they would take similar action again, Lynch responded: 'I hope we don't have to. I hope this wakes people up enough that others won't need to take such drastic measures. But if the government continues to license new oil and gas fields, what choice do ordinary people have?'
The case has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate about protest methods in the UK, testing the boundaries of the government's new stricter protest legislation.
