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Even Stonehenge isn’t sacred to the woke climate cult
Ancient pagan sites have become the latest vandalism target for modern pagan cults.
On Wednesday, two Just Stop Oil protesters broke past the railings at Stonehenge and used fire extinguishers to douse several of the 5,000-year-old megaliths in orange powder paint.
The protest was timed for maximum impact, falling one day before the Summer Solstice, when the rules are relaxed and visiting pilgrims — mostly druids and hippies — are allowed inside the stone circle to perform worship rituals on the longest day of the year.
Wiltshire Police have confirmed that the two protesters, identified as Niamh Lynch, a 21-year-old student from Oxford, and Rajan Naidu, a 73-year-old man from Birmingham, have since been arrested on suspicion of damaging the UNESCO world heritage site.
After their latest stunt by spraying on Stonehenge have you had enough of Just Stop Oil
— Lee Hood (@Mofoman360) June 19, 2024
Yes or No? pic.twitter.com/kUmeRTeS46
In video footage that circulated online, members of the public could be seen shouting and trying to intervene and stop the act of vandalism.
Following Wednesday’s events, experts expressed concern at the potential damage inflicted by the climate fanatics.
The BBC quoted archaeologist and author Mike Pitts, who described the “exceptional lichen garden” that has grown on the surface of the ancient stones, which hosts up to 77 species of the symbiotic organism.
“The monument has been fenced off for decades and the megaliths’ surfaces are protected,” he explained.
“They are sensitive and they are [also] completely covered in prehistoric markings which remain to be fully studied and any surface damage to the stones is hugely concerning.”
On Thursday, English Heritage — the organisation that manages the prehistoric site — confirmed that the stones have been cleaned and no lasting damage appears to have occurred:
Our experts have already removed the orange powder from the stones. We moved quickly due to the risk that the powder would harm the important and rare lichens growing on the stones and that if the powder came into contact with water, it would leave difficult-to-remove streaks. And while we are relieved that there appears to be no visible damage, the very act of removing the powder can – in itself – have a harmful impact by eroding the already fragile stone and damaging the lichens.
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In a statement, Just Stop Oil used the protest to demand the next UK government end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030, asserting, “We have to come together to defend humanity or we risk everything.”
“Continuing to burn coal, oil and gas will result in the death of millions,” a spokesperson for the group claimed.
Wokeness has reached something of an impasse when Stonehenge must simultaneously be venerated and vandalised to appease the weather gods.
Indeed, as Mercator editor Michael Cook suggested to me, since woke wisdom holds that Stonehenge was built by Black people, could it be that Just Stop Oil is cancelling the achievements of ancient BIPOC druids?
Of course, condemnation from UK leaders was quickly forthcoming, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemning the protest as a “disgraceful act of vandalism” and leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer calling it “outrageous” and “pathetic”. However, their rebukes ring hollow when both sides of politics have adopted wholesale the millenarian premises of climate alarmism, even if they are acting on their panic at different speeds.
In hindsight (or foresight for the “conspiracy theorists”), Stonehenge was always going to be fair game for climate cultists who were treated with kid gloves for trashing the artworks of da Vinci, van Gogh, Monet and Picasso.
As Konstantin Kisin quipped in response to the Wednesday’s developments, “We did tell you that when you let people block roads, stop commuter trains and destroy art with impunity their behaviour will escalate. Maybe now you’ll listen?”
Here’s hoping — but I won’t hold my breath.
Are the Just Stop Oil protesters heroes or vandals?
Kurt Mahlburg is a husband, father, freelance writer, and a familiar Australian voice on culture and the Christian faith. He is the Senior Editor at Australia’s largest Christian news site The Daily Declaration and a Contributing Editor at Mercator. His writings can also be found at Intellectual Takeout, The American Spectator and the Spectator Australia. He has authored or co-authored five books, including his breakout title Cross and Culture: Can Jesus Save the West?
Image credit: vandalising Stonehenge / Just Stop Oil website
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David Page commented 2024-06-23 10:30:07 +1000Where any of those paintings actually damaged?
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mrscracker commented 2024-06-21 21:41:48 +1000Who knows, the folks who erected Stonehenge might have had similar rituals to celebrate the Summer Solstice.
:)
Thankfully there was no lasting damage done. -