Oct. 31 (UPI) — Three activists with “Just Stop Oil” were acquitted Friday by a British court for spraypainting Britain’s ancient Stonehenge site.
Following a 10-day trial at Salisbury Crown Court, Oxford University student Niamh Lynch, Rajan Naidu and Luke Watson were acquitted on charges of causing a public nuisance.
Naidu, 74, and Lynch, 23, along with Watson, 36, were taken into custody last summer after spray-painting the ancient site at Stonehenge — the prehistoric megalithic structure — the color orange to protest the country’s ongoing use of fossil fuels.
Stonehenge sits in southern England roughly 88 miles southwest of the country’s capital London.
The incident took place as thousands were expected to descend on the area the next day for the summer solstice, the earliest in 228 years since 1796.
The three climate activists denied all charges in the ongoing global protest against use of fossil fuels.
They cited “reasonable excuse” in their defense under articles of free speech part of the European Convention on Human Rights.
“If individuals disagree with what our government is doing on certain matters they are entitled to protest,” stated Judge Dugdale.
