United Kingdom: Two environmentalists arrested after targeting private jets

Two environmentalists who spray-painted private jets on a London airport tarmac were arrested on Thursday and remanded in pre-trial detention on Saturday ahead of a new trial scheduled for July.

Around 5:00 a.m. (04:00 GMT) on Thursday, two Just Stop Oil activists, aged 22 and 28, cut through a fence at busy Stansted International Airport, northeast of the British capital, to gain entry into the heavily private area. Flights are grounded.

As they entered, activists sprayed orange paint-filled bombs at two planes before being arrested.

Heard by British courts on Saturday, the two women, who were charged specifically with criminal damage and aggravated assault, pleaded not guilty.

According to the lawsuit, the painting cost £52,000 ($90,000) to clean.

Remanded in custody, they will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court in north-east London on July 22.

In a press release from Just Stop Oil, one of the activists arrested on Thursday accused them of being “millionaires who live in luxury and fly in private jets without worrying about living conditions.” Climate crisis.

“Passengers using private jets are responsible for 14 times more CO2 emissions than those traveling by commercial aircraft,” the environmental group added.

Just Stop Oil aims to end the exploitation of fossil fuels by 2030. Its spectacular and controversial actions, especially in museums, during sporting events or performances, regularly earn its operatives prison terms.