MertonNews

Just Stop Oil protesters disrupt Wimbledon match with glitter and jigsaw pieces

Just Stop Oil supporters have disrupted the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, running onto to a court and throwing glitter around.

At around 2.10pm, two Just Stop Oil supporters ran onto Court 18, disrupting the match between Sho Shimabukuro and Grigor Dimitrov.

The supporters threw “environmentally-friendly” orange confetti glitter and jigsaw pieces onto the courts, before being removed.

Play as stopped on Court 18 as one of the protesters sat on the court (Picture: Just Stop Oil)

The game was delayed whilst marshals picked up the pieces, until rain once again halted play.

Deborah Wilde, 68, a retired teacher from London, was one of the protesters who ran on the court.

She said: “I’m just an ordinary grandmother in resistance to this government’s policy of serving us new oil and gas licences.

“In normal circumstances this sort of disruption would be entirely unacceptable, but these aren’t normal circumstances.

“We’ve just had the hottest June on record, breaking the previous record by nearly a whole degree! We don’t need Hawk-eye to see that our government issuing over 100 new fossil fuel licences is a very bad line-call.

Pictured top: Just Stop Oil protesters invade Court 18 at Wimbledon (Picture: Just Stop Oil)

“Forget strawberries and cream, scientists are warning of impending food shortages, mass displacement and war.

“We are facing new pandemics, economic inflation and increasingly authoritarian governments who will attempt to crush civil unrest. This is a crisis and it needs a crisis response.

“I want a safe future, not just for my grandchildren but for all children around the world and the generations to come.”

The protesters are demanding that the UK government halts all new licences and consents for oil, gas and coal.

A spokesman for the All England Lawn Tennis Club said: “Following an incident on Court 18, two individuals have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage and these individuals have now been removed from the Grounds.

“Play on the court was temporarily paused and, following a suspension in play due to a rain delay, play is about to resume.”

Pictured top: Just Stop Oil protesters invade Court 18 at Wimbledon (Picture: Just Stop Oil)

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