Around 15,000 people greeted the sun with cheers, drumming and chanting as it rose over Stonehenge for the summer solstice, just days after the ancient monument was sprayed with orange paint. Those who observed the spectacle at the neolithic structure in Wiltshire encountered a chilly morning accompanied by misty fields as the Sun glinted over the horizon at 4.52am on Friday.
The solstice events at Stonehenge are some of the rare occasions people are allowed to be close to the stones, which sit at the heart of a World Heritage site and date back thousands of years. On Wednesday, Just Stop Oil protesters ran past barriers and sprayed orange powder paint at a number of the stones. Wiltshire Police later arrested and bailed a man in his 70s and woman in her 20s on suspicion of criminal damage, damaging an ancient monument, and deterring a person from engaging in lawful activity.
English Heritage said experts had removed the powder quickly, as there was a risk it would harm rare lichens growing on the stones and could leave difficult-to-remove streaks if it came into contact with water. The charity confirmed there appeared to be no “visible damage” from the paint but the act of removing it could erode the fragile stone and damage the lichens. Many of the attendees who gathered to celebrate the solstice expressed their frustration and disapproval at the protest.
King Arthur Pendragon, a senior druid and pagan priest, said people from “every single continent” were present a.
