LONDON, June 19. /TASS/. Protesters from the British environmental activist group Just Stop Oil have sprayed the UK’s famous prehistoric structure, Stonehenge, with orange paint to draw public attention to environmental issues.
"2 people took action the day before Summer Solstice, demanding the incoming government sign up to a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030," the group said on X. The protesters were sending a message to the opposition Labour Party which, following the July 4 parliamentary elections, according to polls, may replace the Conservatives at the helm.
Stonehenge is a group of five-meter-high stones placed in a circle on Salisbury Plain between 3000 and 2000 BC. Some researchers think that it is an ancient observatory. Debates over its purpose have been underway for over eight centuries.
Winter and Summer Solstices as well as Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes are a rare chance to visit the famous Neolithic structure for free, gaining an opportunity to enter the ring and touch the rocks. On usual days, visitors cannot get close to the stones - they are surrounded by a low fence designated to ensure the structure’s security. However, several times a year access to the rocks is open to all out of respect for the followers of neo-Pagan cults who perform rituals there during solstices and equinoxes.