Two octogenarians from Just Stop Oil were charged on Saturday with vandalizing a display case protecting a copy of Magna Carta, the founding text of modern democracy, on display at the British Library in London.
A video posted by the group, which is used to spectacular stunts, shows two women striking thick glass with hammers and chisels.
Both activists were immediately arrested. They were charged with “criminal damage” on Saturday and released on bail. They are due to appear in a London court on June 20.
Magna Carta is unaffected
The British Library holds two of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta, which in 1215 establishes that the king and his government are not above the law. “This document deals with the rule of law and resistance to abuse of power. Our government is breaking its own laws,” Judy Bruce, 85, says in the Just Stop Oil video. Reverend Sue Parfitt, 82, continues, “I’m a Christian, and I can do nothing to alleviate the terrible suffering that’s going on right now. I am forced to do everything possible.
According to Just Stop Oil, which is campaigning for the government to establish a plan to end the use of fossil fuels by 2030, the two octogenarians joined hands.
The British Library said the two activists caused “minor damage” to the display, without damaging the Magna Carta. The “Gallery of Treasures” where the Magna Carta is on display is closed.
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