Two climate activists reportedly tried to break the glass case containing the Magna Carta, which is believed to be the founding documents for Western democracy. At the British Library on Friday, May 10, the women used a hammer and chisel to pound at the glass. However, the pair caused only minor damage to the case and the historic document was untouched.
The women pounded the glass in the name of fighting climate change. They belong to the group called Just Stop Oil — a group looking to end the world’s reliance on fossil fuels. The women, Rev. Sue Parfitt and Judy Bruce, a retired biology teacher, released a statement in response to the incident.
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“The Magna Carta is rightly revered, being of great importance to our history, to our freedoms and to our laws,” the statement said. “But there will be no freedom, no lawfulness, no rights, if we allow climate breakdown to become the catastrophe that is now threatened.”
A security team was able to stop the women and police arrested them. The gallery was closed until further notice on Friday.
This isn’t the only incident of vandalism involving climate activists targeting historical pieces. In January, protesters splattered soup on the glass guarding the Mona Lisa in Paris.
Just Stop Oil is known for disruptions across Britain raise awareness about climate change.
