Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Three charged over Wimbledon climate protests

A Just Stop Oil demonstrator was dragged off Court 18
A Just Stop Oil demonstrator was dragged off Court 18 - Copyright AFP Punit PARANJPE
A Just Stop Oil demonstrator was dragged off Court 18 - Copyright AFP Punit PARANJPE

London police on Friday charged three people with aggravated trespass over two incidents at the Wimbledon tennis tournament, when climate protesters interrupted play and scattered jigsaw pieces on the court.

Deborah Wilde, 68, Simon Milner-Edwards, 66, and William Ward, 66, were released on bail to appear at London’s City of Westminster Magistrates court next month.

Both incidents took place on Wednesday and involved members of the Just Stop Oil campaign group, which has targeted major sporting events including the snooker World Championship and the Ashes cricket series.

In the first incident, a man and a woman wearing “Just Stop Oil” T-shirts ran onto Court 18 during play and “discharged what is believed to be orange paper petals and jigsaw pieces,” according to Metropolitan Police.

Later, a man ran onto the same court to carry out a similar protest.

They were all detained by security staff before being arrested by police and taken into custody.

The demonstrations prompted a warning from UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman, after she hosted top sports officials to try to prevent similar disruptions at forthcoming sporting events.

“The protesters at Wimbledon were determined to ruin the day’s play for spectators and sports fans across the world,” she said.

“This is unacceptable. We will be uncompromisingly tough on the selfish protesters intent on spoiling our world-class sporting occasions this summer.”

Just Stop Oil wants the UK government to end all new oil and gas exploration and has promised not to let up in its protests until it does so.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

Business

DOGE has said nothing at all about what happens next. Guesses?

Entertainment

Lady Gaga tribute performer Tierney chatted about her latest endeavors in the music industry.

Entertainment

Papal thriller "Conclave" and immigrant epic "The Brutalist" on Sunday tied for top honours at Britain's BAFTA awards.

Business

The philosophy should be "AI First"—letting AI handle initial tasks but always allowing humans to review and adjust outcomes.