In the last 72 hours, Just Stop Oil (JSO) have achieved two prominent attacks against high-profile targets in the UK.
The first attack, on the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, occurred prior to the Summer Solstice gathering. Two protestors representing JSO sprayed the 5,000-year-old megalithic monument with what was claimed to be a paint based on cornflour, causing concern about the potential damage to the standing stones.
Rare lichen, identified in 2003[1], covers the monoliths. The impact of this protest on the delicate organisms that inhabit the monument would appear to be in contradiction of the desire of JSO to protect the “health of the planet”[2]. To target non-living or inanimate objects in the pursuit of raising the awareness of climate change is understandable, but to target sites with a fragile ecology is unfathomable. In April 2024, a woman climbed the fence to touch the stones at the site[3] despite intervention by site stewards.
A second protest at Stansted Airport, during which private aircraft were sprayed with orange paint, highlights vulnerabilities in the UK transport infrastructure. It is fortunate that JSO gained access, as opposed to an organisation wishing to cause harm to human life.
The results of an investigation are unlikely to be made public. Ground-based radar perimeter detection[4] is employed at Stansted, but all perimeter intruder detection systems are prone to false alarms[5]. A good video surveillance system is essential in order to identify the difference between false and true activations[6], and roving perimeter patrols act as a deterrent against intrusion and trespass and allow for a swift reaction to a true activation.
The use of an angle grinder[7] to breach the fence suggests that fencing in the area had been identified as weak during the reconnaissance phase of the JSO attack, or that CCTV coverage was inadequate.
Attacks on insurable private property are unacceptable; Desecrating historical antiquities are unforgiveable. The nation should be doing everything possible to protect our heritage sites from harm.
Marc Sageman wrote of the dangers of Leaderless Jihad[8], but seemingly it is the rise of Leaderless Resistance[9] and the cell structure employed by activist organisations[10], such as JSO, which is causing sustained economic damage and reducing the resources available to combat climate change.
Have UK heritage sites only had ‘playing sandwiches’ improvements? Like the child’s hand-stacking game, issues are rectified but the level of security doesn’t change - and it takes a lot of effort. Problems identified are patched up, and the process of improvement is built upon previous changes which were only meant to be temporary.
A full security review identifies weakness in site security, processes, and the people employed at the site. It is far more costly to identify and mitigate security, safety and environmental vulnerabilities after a harmful event than before one. As we can see, these continuing leaderless resistance actions are often far more consequential to public interest and our heritage than it is to the organisations they are aiming to hurt.
Would behavioural detection and disruptive effects training have prevented the attack on Stonehenge? Possibly. It is better to know what you need to do to fix weaknesses before the attack occurs.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/may/15/arts.artsnews2
[2] https://juststopoil.org/faqs/
[3] https://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/24237688.tourist-touches-stonehenge-stones-viral-tiktok-video/
[4] https://www.blighter.com/wp-content/uploads/london-stansted-airport-case-study.pdf
[5] https://www.npsa.gov.uk/perimeter-intrusion-detection-pids-0
[6] https://www.npsa.gov.uk/resources/perimeter-intrusion-detection-systems-guidance-document
[7] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/just-stop-oil-stansted-private-planes-taylor-swift-b2565741.html
[8] https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt3fhbht
[9] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/10/just-stop-oil-behind-the-scenes-with-the-activists
[10] https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/77050046.pdf