Just Stop Oil Activists Cleared Over Stonehenge Protest
Three Just Stop Oil activists who sprayed Stonehenge with orange powder have been found not guilty of causing criminal damage or public nuisance, after arguing their protest was protected by the right to free speech. Rajan Naidu, 74, Niamh Lynch, 23, and Luke Watson, 36, admitted taking part in the June 2024 protest but denied breaking the law. A jury at Salisbury Crown Court cleared them after a 10-day trial, deciding that convicting them would have been an unfair restriction on their right to protest.
The group targeted the ancient monument a day before the summer solstice, when around 15,000 people were expected to visit. Using colour blasters filled with cornflour, talc, and orange dye, Naidu and Lynch crossed a boundary rope to spray the stones, while Watson drove them to the site and supplied the equipment.
The powder was removed within hours at a cost of £620, and no permanent damage was caused. Prosecutors said the protest was “an act of blatant and clear vandalism,” arguing it was planned to grab attention. The defendants, however, said they chose materials that wouldn’t harm the stones and described the action as a peaceful protest about the climate crisis. They cited Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protect freedom of speech and the right to protest.
Judge Paul Dugdale told the jury to consider whether convicting the activists would have been “a proportionate interference” with their rights. He added: “Everyone’s entitled to express their own opinion even if we disagree. There are times when protecting the right to freedom of speech and freedom to protest can mean that activity that would otherwise be unlawful would be regarded as lawful by the court to protect those rights.” After six hours of deliberation, the jury returned not guilty verdicts. The trio hugged in the dock and celebrated with supporters in court. Speaking afterward,
Lynch, now a master’s student in ecology and conservation, said: “If you see something you love being hurt, you do everything you can to help. It’s quite simple. It’s totally natural. I might not be able to do much but I categorically refuse to do nothing. I refuse to stand by and watch as our world burns around us.” Naidu added: “The judicial system must wake up and begin to play its shamefully neglected role in defending us and other species from rapacious billionaire class climate criminals. We need a global Fossil Fuel Non-proliferation Treaty right now.” Watson, a carpenter, said he was pleased with the verdict but called the case “a complete waste of public money,” arguing it should have been dealt with in a magistrates’ court.
Their solicitor Francesca Cociani, from Hodge Jones & Allen, said the verdict was “a relief,” describing the case as “an affront to their right to protest.” She added: “The right to peaceful protest is an essential pillar of our democratic society, but time and time again we are seeing that right being eroded.”
