Just Stop Oil stop play with Wimbledon protest

It’s the latest action from the climate activist group.

Just Stop Oil protestors managed to bring play to a halt by making their way onto one of the courts at Wimbledon on Wednesday. Two protestors got on to court 18 at the All England Club, disrupting the match between Sho Shimabukuro and Grigor Dimitrov. They then threw “environmentally friendly orange confetti glitter and jigsaw pieces” onto the court before being removed by security. Explaining the motive behind their actions in a post on Twitter, the group said: “Today’s action comes as the @metoffice confirmed on Monday that this June has been the hottest on record, with the average monthly temperature of 15.8°C exceeding the previous record set in 1976 by 0.9°C. “The @Wimbledon Championships are currently under fire after signing a sponsorship deal with @Barclays, who have given £30 billion to oil and gas companies, including @exxonmobil, @Shell and @TotalEnergies, in the last two years.”

? BREAKING: Just Stop Oil Disrupt @Wimbledon

? “Once more, orange clouds hang over a British sporting event this summer—this time it’s ticker tape rather than paint dust, but it is an intrusion and will need sorting out.” ? Sign up to take action at https://t.co/7BzUVS02dZ pic.twitter.com/2iaoo6GNdO — Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) July 5, 2023

During June, temperature records were broken in 72 of the 97 areas in the UK from which temperature data is collected. Speaking about the record-breaking temperatures, Paul Davies, Met Office chief meteorologist and climate extremes principal fellow, told BBC News: “An increase of 0.9C may not seem a huge amount, but it’s really significant because it has taken the average daytime and the night time temperature for the whole of the UK.” And as before Wimbledon got underway this week, a number of high-profile celebrities called on the championships to end their relationship with Barclays.

? The @Wimbledon Championships are currently under fire after signing a sponsorship deal with @Barclays, who have given £30 billion to oil and gas companies, including @exxonmobil, @Shell and @TotalEnergies, in the last two years.

— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) July 5, 2023

Actress Emma Thompson, film director Richard Curtis, businesswoman Deborah Meaden and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas were among those to sign a letter accusing Barclays of “profiting from climate chaos”. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced Barclays as an official banking partner of the Championships in November last year. It’s the latest example of climate activists disrupting a major sporting event. Last month, protestors brought a halt to the second Ashes test at Lord’s by storming the field, and earlier this year activists managed to sit on one of the tables at the Snooker World Championships in Sheffield. Read next:

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