Two Just Stop Oil activists have broken into a VIP private airfield at Stansted airport and spray painted aircraft just hours after Taylor Swift's own jet is said to have landed.
Jennifer Kowalski and Cole Macdonald are believed to have cut into the private airfield at around 5am and targeted planes using fire extinguishers filled with orange paint. Video footage appears to show the two activists cutting through a wire fence at the perimeter of the airfield to gain access.
Taylor Swift is due to play at Wembley Stadium on Friday night on her The Eras Tour, and Just Stop Oil have said that they attacked the same airfield the star had landed at - but her plane was not there. A statement from the environmental activists stated: "Two Just Stop Oil supporters have painted multiple private jets on the airfield where Taylor Swift's jet landed mere hours before.
"They are demanding that the incoming UK government commit to working with other governments to agree an equitable plan to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030. At around 5:00am Jennifer Kowalski and Cole Macdonald entered the private airfield at Stansted airport where Swift's jet is currently stationed. The pair painted two private jets using fire extinguishers filled with orange paint."
Ms Macdonald, 22, from Brighton, said: "We're living in two worlds: one where billionaires live in luxury, able to fly in private jets away from the other, where unlivable conditions are being imposed on countless millions. Meanwhile, this system that is allowing extreme wealth to be accrued by a few, to the detriment of everyone else, is destroying the conditions necessary to support human life in a rapidly accelerating never-ending 'cruel summer'. Billionaires are not untouchable, climate breakdown will affect every single one of us."
Ms Kowalski, 28, who is a former sustainability manager from Dumbarton, said: "Over the years, I've had to realise that even working in sustainability provides me with essentially no ability to make the necessary changes to prevent the complete collapse of our natural systems. I have to take desperate measures to make my voice heard. In 2024 we all have to be considering what we can do each day to change the course our society is on. We need an emergency treaty to stop the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030."
Essex Police have now said that two women, aged 22 and 28, have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use of national infrastructure following the incident.
