Readers might have hoped Just Stop Oil would have left their bizarre stunts in 2024 – but sadly it wasn’t to be. This morning two eco-activists decided it would be a good idea to graffiti Charles Darwin’s grave at Westminster Abbey in protest at rising global temperatures. Er, right.
Alyson Lee and Di Bligh sprayed ‘1.5 is dead’ in bright orange paint across the memorial today. It’s reference to last week’s report that that 2024 was the first year that warming rose 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial temperatures – breaching a significant climate emergency threshold. Bligh – who is a former Reading council boss – insisted that:
Darwin once said, ‘It is not the strongest of the species, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change, that lives within the means available and works cooperatively against common threats.’ Last year was the hottest since modern humans evolved. If we do not work together to reign in the corporations and billionaires driving us beyond our means, humanity will not be able to adapt to what is coming.
Not that Steerpike is much convinced defacing the naturalist’s memorial will help to, um, ‘reign in billionaires’. On the contrary, it’s the two climate activists who have been taken in – by the police. A Met Police spokesperson noted that ‘two women have been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage with what is believed to be powdered paint at Westminster Abbey’, adding that the duo remain in custody at a London station. Dear oh dear…
On the bright side, Westminster Abbey has said its conservators ‘do not anticipate that there will be any permanent damage’ to Darwin’s grave with cleaning beginning immediately. Will 2025 be the year that Just Stop Oil finally decide to ditch their mad antics? Don’t hold your breath…
Watch the clip here:
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