London: Two climate activists have been arrested after spray-painting private jets orange at a London airport where they claimed Taylor Swift’s jet had landed just hours earlier.
Cole Macdonald, 22, and 28-year-old Jennifer Kowalski are said to have entered the airfield at London Stansted Airport at around 5am on Thursday, local time.
Screengrabs from a video posted by activist group Just Stop Oil of private jets being spray-painted at a London airport. Credit: X: @JustStop_Oil
Essex police said two women were arrested in a private area of the airport on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use or operation of national infrastructure.
Environmental group Just Stop Oil posted a video of someone cutting through a security fence followed by a clip of a woman using a fire extinguisher to spray orange paint on at least two private jets.
Just Stop Oil said the airfield was where Swift’s jet was parked, but Essex police said the pop star’s aircraft was not at the airport. Swift is doing three shows at London’s Wembley Stadium from Friday through Sunday.
It is understood the two climate activists attempted to target Swift’s jet, claiming they knew its tail number, but could not find it. Instead, they sprayed two jets at random using fire extinguishers filled with orange paint.
Macdonald, from Brighton, East Sussex, said: “We’re living in two worlds – one where billionaires live in luxury, able to fly in private jets away from the other, where unlivable conditions are being imposed on countless millions.
“Meanwhile, this system that is allowing extreme wealth to be accrued by a few, to the detriment of everyone else, is destroying the conditions necessary to support human life in a rapidly accelerating never-ending ‘cruel summer’. Billionaires are not untouchable – climate breakdown will affect every single one of us.”
An airport spokesperson said the incident was five kilometres from the main terminal and police said there was no threat the public.
The airfield, 50 kilometres northeast of central London, is the city’s third busiest airport and is often used by government officials and visiting world leaders including US President Joe Biden.
Screengrabs from a video posted by activist group Just Stop Oil of private jets being spray-painted at a London airport. Credit: X: @JustStop_Oil
The arrests come a day after two of the group’s activists were detained for spraying orange paint on Stonehenge.
Just Stop Oil is one of many environmental groups around Europe that have received attention — and blowback — for disrupting sporting events, splashing paint and food on famous works of art and interrupting traffic to draw attention to global warming.
Essex Police said in a statement: “Officers were on the scene within minutes and detained two people. The airport and flights are operating as normal.
“A 22-year-old woman from Brighton and a 28-year-old woman from Dumbarton have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use or operation of national infrastructure.”
Taylor Swift has been contacted for comment.
AP, The Telegraph London
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