Climate activists from the ‘Just Stop Oil’ group were arrested after disrupting the World Snooker Championship with one throwing orange powder on the table at the Crucible Theatre. Joe Perry’s first-round match against Robert Milkins had to be stopped when a man jumped onto the table and emptied a bag of orange powder across the green baize. Stunned fans watched on as half of the table and many of the balls were covered in the cloud of powder, with the man kneeling on the baize for several seconds before a security guard dragged him away. The man was wearing a white t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan ‘Just Stop Oil’ on the back.

On the other table at the Sheffield arena, the match between Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi was interrupted when a woman, also wearing a ‘Just Stop Oil’ t-shirt, tried to get on the baize at the same time as the male protestor. She was dragged off by referee Olivier Marteel before any powder was thrown. “Two people were detained after protesters gained entry to The Crucible earlier this evening,” a South Yorkshire Police statement said. “A 30-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. Both are in police custody.” In a press release, Just Stop Oil said two supporters had staged the stunt to highlight the group’s demand that the government stop all new UK fossil fuel projects.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP