Activists Arrested After Defacing Charles Darwin's Grave in Climate Protest

[Social Media]

 

In a dramatic demonstration at Westminster Abbey, two activists from the environmental group Just Stop Oil defaced the grave of Charles Darwin, sparking widespread attention and debate. The protesters, armed with orange spray chalk, scrawled the words "1.5 is Dead" across the naturalist’s memorial around 10 a.m. on Monday, leading to their immediate arrest.

 

The provocative message refers to the alarming news that global temperatures have exceeded the crucial threshold of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. Di Bligh, one of the protestors and a former chief executive of Reading Council, expressed her despair at the environmental crisis. "We’ve done this because there’s no hope for the world, really," she stated. "We’ve targeted Darwin’s grave because he would be turning in his grave due to the sixth mass extinction currently unfolding."

 

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest, saying the pair were taken into custody on suspicion of causing criminal damage with what appeared to be powdered paint. The Abbey’s conservators swiftly responded to the incident, assuring the public that the orange chalk spray could be removed without permanent damage. Despite the disruption, the Abbey remains open for visitors and worshippers.

 

Alyson Lee, the other protester and a retired teaching assistant from Derby, voiced her frustration with the government's inaction on climate change. "We are trying to get the government to act on climate change. They are not doing enough," she said. Lee believed Darwin, a man of science, would have supported their cause, as he would have followed the scientific evidence of the current crisis.

 

The protest coincided with a stark report from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), confirming that the previous year was the warmest on record globally, marking the first time average temperatures surpassed the 1.5°C benchmark. Additional analysis from the Met Office, the University of East Anglia, and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science reinforced these findings, stating that 2024 was the hottest year on record.

 

Reflecting on the dire implications of this temperature rise, Lee declared, "Ten years on from the Paris Agreement, we have already exceeded the so-called safe temperature rise of 1.5 degrees, and are heading for over three degrees of warming." She warned of the catastrophic consequences, including vast areas of the planet becoming uninhabitable, leading to mass displacement, societal collapse, and the extinction of countless species.

 

Lee called for widespread civil disobedience, urging the public to "join us on the streets and help us reclaim parliament this April" in a bid to push for more aggressive action on climate change. The incident at Westminster Abbey has reignited the debate on the effectiveness and ethics of direct action in the fight against environmental degradation.

 

 

Based on a report by The Independent 2024-01-15

 

 

[Tailwagsdog]

Here's a better idea ...go and protest outside the Soviet (renamed Russian) Embassy against the polluting war they are raging on Ukraine.

Oil terminals burning for weeks, oil tankers polluting everywhere, and the list goes on ..

Then I will believe you are serious in your beliefs & may even support you.

[Homburg]

Mental Health services in the UK must be in a truly parlous state.

[klauskunkel]

3 hours ago, Social Media said:

Di Bligh, one of the protestors

Alyson Lee, the other protester

They are both women! I truly thought looking at the pictures they were just men in their 70s. 

I'm starting to feel the misery that is Britain... 

[JonnyF]

2 hours ago, Homburg said:

Mental Health services in the UK must be in a truly parlous state.

 

Yes like the rest of the country.

 

What do you expect when the government themselves buy into the net zero, Doomsday cult rubbish?

 

I suspect Darwin will win this one. 

[Yagoda]

Bet Chuckie doesnt care.

[Chomper Higgot]

These idiots write the arguments against themselves.

[Phillip9]

They are upset because the natural world is being destroyed, so they deface the grave of the world's most famous naturalist???  

 

Seems like they are targeting the wrong person with their hate.

[Bkk Brian]

6 hours ago, Social Media said:

Lee called for widespread civil disobedience, urging the public to "join us on the streets and help us reclaim parliament this April" in a bid to push for more aggressive action on climate change.

Dangerous bitches

[herfiehandbag]

2 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

They are both women! I truly thought looking at the pictures they were just men in their 70s. 

I'm starting to feel the misery that is Britain... 

I thought exactly the same when I first looked at the picture.

 

 

[Celsius]

Finally, I see the face of women whose ex-husbands claim they faced financial exploitation and emotional challenges in their previous marriages.