Just Stop Oil is a group of climate activists trying to stop the Government from backing new fossil-fuel projects around the UK.
They believe their campaigning will help to secure the future of the planet by trying to limit the negative impacts of climate change by stopping the use of oil.
The group is committed to continuing their activism until the Government starts listening to their climate demands. Members of the group have even hosted non-violent training sessions around the country to help prepare activists for what they might “experience in action”.
Over the years, Just Stop Oil has made headlines for high-profile and disruptive protests, which have taken place at sporting events, during West End productions and inside famous art galleries.
Take a look at some of Just Stop Oil’s most notable targets.
British Grand Prix
In July 2022, a group of Just Stop Oil activists ran onto the track at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix shortly after a crash halted the race. Although cars were still reportedly going around the track, the activists forced their way onto the race course in an effort to raise awareness for their climate goals.
F1 driver Lewis Hamilton also appeared to show his support for the activists, saying: “Big up those guys.”
He added: “I love that people are fighting for the planet and we need more people like them.”
Van Gogh Painting
Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting, which hangs in the National Gallery, was first doused in tomato soup by Just Stop Oil back in 2022.
The painting is estimated to be worth £74.8m, however, it is covered with glass. After throwing soup at the art, the activists then glued themselves to the wall in protest.
Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland were jailed for their part in the climate protest in 2024 – and, just hours after their sentences were handed down, other Just Stop Oil activists once again threw paint at the famous artwork.
Ashes Test
In June 2023, Just Stop Oil protestors disrupted the first day of the Ashes Test cricket match between England and Australia.
A protestor could be seen running toward the wicket and spilling orange powder across the grass before they were tackled by members of the England team including wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and captain Ben Stokes.
Wimbledon
In July 2023, several Just Stop Oil protestors stormed onto the courts at Wimbledon before throwing jigsaw pieces and confetti onto the ground during a match between Grigor Dimitrov and Sho Shimabukuro.
The protestors, who were identified as Deborah Wilde, 68, and Simon Milner-Edwards, 66, appeared in court a month later where they accepted that they had gone on to the court but pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated trespass.
London Pride
In September 2023, Just Stop Oil campaigners disrupted the London Pride march because the event was sponsored by United Airlines.
The group chose to stop the parade by sitting in front of the Coca-Cola float, before spraying pink and black paint over the road. Seven people were arrested during the incident for “public nuisance”.
A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil later explained why London Pride had become a target, saying: “Pride was born from protest. It speaks to how far we’ve come as a community, that high-polluting industries and the banks that fund them, now see Pride as a useful vehicle for sanitising their reputations, waving rainbow flags in one hand whilst accelerating social collapse with the other.
“It is queer people, and particularly queer people of colour in the global south, who are suffering first in this accelerating social breakdown.”
London’s West End
In November 2023, Just Stop Oil activists managed to get onstage during a performance of Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue.
Despite angry calls from the audience demanding they get off stage, the campaigners raised a flag and prompted the performance to end early. Five campaigners were later arrested and charged for their involvement.
This wasn’t the only time the eco-activists have targeted a West End show. In January 2025, two people were arrested after protesters holding a flag got onto the stage during a performance of The Tempest starring Sigourney Weaver.
Charles Darwin’s grave
January 2025 also saw Just Stop Oil target Charles Darwin’s grave with their signature orange paint.
Two women were arrested after the words “1.5 is dead” was graffitied onto the naturalist’s Westminster Abbey grave in chalk paint. The words were a reference to attempts to limit global warming to 1.5C and reduce the impact of climate change.
Stonehenge
Just Stop Oil activists threw paint powder over the Wiltshire stones in their June 2024 protest.
The protest was widely condemned, including by then prime minister Rishi Sunak and his successor, Labour’s Keir Starmer.
