Two Just Stop Oil protesters disrupted the World Snooker Championships last night by climbing on to the tables and throwing signature orange paint on to the tables.
The protesters were removed by security and arrested, and play was suspended whilst the snooker table covered in powder paint was cleaned.
The match taking place at the Sheffield Crucible arena at the time was between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry, and it was reported that the game was stopped for around 45 minutes in total.
The following video showing the protest was then shared online via Twitter by Just Stop Oil.
🧡 CAN YOU BLAME THEM FOR TRYING?
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) April 17, 2023
💀 We know new oil and gas will kill millions, but the UK government is licensing 100+ new fossil fuel projects.
🦺 Why would ordinary people not try everything in their power to stop that?#SnookerWorldChampionship #JustStopOil #TheBigOne #UK pic.twitter.com/OaXWjawzrj
The protesting group describes itself as “a coalition of groups working together to demand that the government immediately halt all future licensing and consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK” and has made headline news for staging protests with orange powder paint.
Forming just one year ago in April 2022, the group began by protesting at English oil terminal and have been known for blocking roads and vandalism as part of their protests – including throwing cans of tomato soup at Vincent Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers painting.
The news comes just days after the organisation made a statement to ‘stand in solidarity’ with Animal Rising protesters at the Grand National over the weekend, ‘staging ‘slow marches’ in the area’.
Just Stop Oil has quoted one of the people taking action, saying: “I did not take this action lightly, but I cannot remain a passive spectator while our government knowingly pushes us down a path to destruction. They are giving handouts of £236 million per week of our money, to the most profitable industry on earth, during a cost of living crisis. I can no longer justify watching from the side lines.”
“I am angry and heartbroken that I have found myself in a position where taking this sort of disruptive action is the only way to get heard.“
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Former world champion Stephen Hendry, who was commentating for the BBC at the time of the protest. Hendry was quoted saying: “I have never seen that before at a snooker event. It’s a first. It is scary. Wow! You just hope the cloth can be recovered from that. It caught us all by surprise and then this happens.”
Feature Image – Just Stop Oil
