Activist group Just Stop Oil were at it again on Wednesday when they disrupted play on the first day of the second Ashes Test between England and Australia at the Lord's Cricket Ground in London.
Just after the first over bowled by James Anderson, three Just Stop Oil protesters entered the field of play after breaking the security cordon, running in from the Grand Stand at the iconic stadium with their signature orange powder paints.
But they were stopped by the trio of Ben Stokes, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, who even picked up one of the protesters and dropped him off the field.
The other one was tackled to the ground by security officials.
The powder paint stained the ground and Bairstow's jersey therefore, play was halted for around six minutes. Bairstow changed to a fresh white England jersey while the ground staff cleaned the outfield so that the play could resume as quickly as possible.
Bairstow returned and rejoined the action in the second over. All this happened after England won the toss and elected to bowl first against Australia, who won the first Test by 2 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series.
“Police have arrested three people and taken them into custody,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Who are Just Stop Oil?
The activist group was founded in December 2021. Just Stop Oil hit the headlines after activists glued themselves to paintings in art galleries across the UK.
Just Stop Oil wants the United Kingdom and other governments to end all new oil and gas exploration and has promised not to let up in its high-profile protests until it does so.
It is a coalition of different groups inspired by organisers from Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion. It has disrupted some of the most high-profile events in the past through their protests.
Past protests of Just Stop Oil
Just Stop Oil protestors have disrupted other major sporting events in Britain this year. They held up the England team bus briefly during the test against Ireland in London this month, and have targeted Premier League soccer matches, the Premiership rugby final at Twickenham, and the world snooker championship in Sheffield.
They also stormed the track at the British Grand Prix last year, earning themselves the support of Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton.
