Climate protestors from the activist group ‘Just Stop Oil’ have filmed themselves spray painting jets in London Stansted’s VIP jet area orange in search of Swift’s plane which was believed to have landed hours earlier for the Fortnight singers Wembley show that evening.
The protestors filled fire extinguishers with orange paint, the signature colour of much of the groups distinctive branding and forced entry into the private airfield at 5am on Thursday morning and covered two jets with the paint. According to the Independent ‘Police sources said they had since been informed that the Shake It Off singer’s jet wasn’t at the private airfield.’ at the time of the attack. A similar demonstration took place at Stonehenge on Wednesday this week, where by protestors used the same technique of spraying paint onto the iconic structure.
The ‘Just Stop Oil’ website uploaded a post on the incident quoting one of the protestors Cole Macdonald, who is just 22 and from Brighton, saying “We’re living in two worlds: one where billionaires live in luxury, able to fly in private jets away from the other, where unlivable conditions are being imposed on countless millions. Meanwhile, this system that is allowing extreme wealth to be accrued by a few, to the detriment of everyone else, is destroying the conditions necessary to support human life in a rapidly accelerating never-ending ‘cruel summer’.” Quoting one of the international pop-stars most beloved songs to emphasise the state of affairs.
The pair also uploaded a series of photos with the targeted jets along with a video of the demonstration which you can watch below.
It has been virtually impossible to escape media coverage of the superstar behind the Era’s tour and discourse surrounding her carbon emissions. In an article by Newsweek, it is stated that between December 25 and January 30 swifts jet produced 77.8342 tons of carbon dioxide. The data comes from the twitter account @SwiftJetNextDay which tracks the jet on its various excursions. The mind man behind the account is Jack Sweeney, celebrity jet trader and University of Central Florida student. Sweeney faced legal action from Swift’s team earlier this year and has since ceased his updates on the jets movements however conversation around the singers trips has continued. In February a member of Swift’s publicist team told the BBC “she does use carbon offsets to compensate her private jet travel.”
The Independent article claims that Essex police were “on the scene within minutes and detained two people,”. They also claims that while they aren’t ani-protest they “will always take action where criminal acts take place.”
Despite the on-going discussions over Swift’s carbon emissions, seemingly, her popularity hasn’t taken a hit as she is due to play three sold out shows at Wembley this week, and another three in August. Fans from all over the word have flocked to venues across the UK to catch Swift’s infamous Eras tour which sees the star play various hits and lesser known songs alike across her entire 12 album discography.
