# Vandalism of Stonehenge

Vandalism of Stonehenge is a phenomenon that has been occurring for centuries. Until the 17th century, stones disappeared from the site, to be employed at build sites. In the 19th century, tourists employed chisels to cut rock chips off of the megaliths as souvenirs. In the final quarter of the 20th century, repeated vandalism of the site during the summer solstice celebrations on the days around 21 June forced the site's custodians to erect a barrier around the monument, as well as a four-mile (about six and a half kilometres) exclusion zone in its last decade. Vandalism, however, had begun as early as the 1980s.
In the early 21st century, vandalism included pieces of rock chipped off the monument and graffiti.
Further vandalism took place on 19 June 2024, when climate protesters from Just Stop Oil damaged three of its standing stones by spraying them with orange paint.

## Vandalism from the 1980s to the turn of the century

Although the first years of the Free Festival (annual, from 1975 onwards) saw "very little vandalism", Stonehenge had to be fenced off from 1978 onwards. Later, repeated vandalism in the 1980s and 1990s led the authorities to deploy up to hundreds of police, erect barriers around Stonehenge, and impose exclusion zones up to six kilometres from the archaeological monument. The vandalism of 1984 included defacing the monument with purple spray paint. The government went so far as to close Stonehenge to protect it from vandalism, but in the face of public outcry (who erroneously feel the site is Druidic, despite Stonehenge having been built thousands of years before the Druids appeared), the government opted to re-open it.

## Vandalism in the first two decades of the 21st century

In 2008, two men tore a small slab from one of Stonehenge's megaliths, in what authorities described as "the first vandalism in decades.“ A few years later, in 2013, someone defaced the monument, painting a smiley face on it.

## Accusations of government vandalism in the 2020s

In 2020, the British transport minister was accused of vandalism when he decided that the road through the Stonehenge area would be converted into a tunnel that would pass in the immediate vicinity. The project was decades old, but had always been delayed because of its cost or because it was considered archaeological vandalism. The historian Tom Holland opined that «To inflict this act of vandalism on this landscape seems unbelievable.» Tunnel opponents considered it “state-sponsored vandalism” even as their case was defeated in court in 2024.

## 2024 vandalism

In 2024, Just Stop Oil vandalised three menhirs. According to Just Stop Oil's website, the paint was made of an "orange cornflour" that would wash away in the rain. Several bystanders shouted at and attempted to stop the activists. The two activists who defaced the structure were promptly arrested by Wiltshire Police.
Just Stop Oil uploaded a video showing the defacement of the stones and the arrest of the activists involved and said that the activists "decorated" the stones to bring attention to the inability of the British government to "commit to defending our communities."
The group also said that the date of the protest one day prior to the summer solstice intentionally coincided with the planned gathering on that day. English Heritage called the defacement "extremely upsetting" and began an investigation to assess the damage caused by the paint. The English Heritage webpage for Stonehenge calls for visitors to respect the stones since they form a World Heritage Site, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and a place sacred to many. Just Stop Oil named the arrested protesters as 21-year-old student Niamh Lynch and 73-year-old Rajan Naidu.
The paint was removed the following day with an air blower to avoid damaging the stones.

## Reactions

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called it a "disgraceful act of vandalism" to one of the UK's and the world's oldest and most significant monuments, and called on anyone associated with Just Stop Oil or who donated to them to condemn the act. Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer called the damage "outrageous" while deeming Just Stop Oil as "pathetic", demanding that the activists and anyone else involved with the act "face the full force of the law".
Archaeologist Mike Pitts expressed his strong concern over the potential damage, and said that the megaliths were fenced off and guarded to protect their surfaces, which were entirely covered in prehistoric markings that have not been fully analyzed. He also expressed concern about possible damage to the diverse lichen patterns on the megalith surfaces. By contrast, Just Stop Oil said that the paint would "wash away with the rain" due to the pigment made from corn that they utilized.
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson responded to the outrage by stating that continued government inaction would entitle Just Stop Oil activists to recruit other European activists to acts of resistance, vaguely specifying that, "Stone circles can be found in every part of Europe, showing how we've always cooperated across vast distances – we're building on that legacy."