They broke the glass protecting the historic document and then glued their hands together.
Two protesters from environmental campaign group Stop Oil broke the glass protecting the Magna Carta at the British Library in an attempt to draw attention to their protest.
The video shows the Rev. Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, using hammers and chisels to break glass covering historical documents before clasping their hands and holding up a sign that read: “The government is violating law”.
The security guard can be heard asking: “Can you stop doing this?” before the pair replied: “No.”
Then they started chanting “We have to stop oil” before sitting down and rubbing glue on their hands.
The glass protecting the artifacts does not appear to have been shattered by the women's attempts.
The British Library holds two of the four surviving copies of the document, which was created in 1215 to limit the power of the monarch and establish human rights for everyone in England.
NEW: Just Stop Oil breaks Magna Carta protection levels.
Rev Dr Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, called for an emergency plan to stop the issuance of new oil and gas licenses by 2030. pic.twitter.com/Tmba8xaBTR
— Politics JOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) May 10, 2024
The two remaining copies are in Lincoln Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral.
Widely regarded as one of the most important legal documents in the history of democracy, Magna Carta was signed into law by King John of England on June 15 at Runnymede, Surrey, and established the rights of all people, including the king. The idea of having rights and entitlements. Liability under the law.
A spokesman for Just Stop Oil said: “Article 39 of Magna Carta is one of the four articles still enshrined in English common law. It is a so-called golden passage, which states: 'No free man shall be arrested or imprisoned. or to be arrested or imprisoned in any manner except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the laws of the land, otherwise he would be ruined.
“Compared to civil law in 2024, corporations are buying private law in the form of injunctions, circumventing the people’s right to a jury trial for the crimes of speaking out against oil companies.”
Two elderly protesters were arrested by police at the scene, and a statement from the Metropolitan Police read: “At 10:52, police received a report from the British Library that 'Stop Oil' activists were attempting to disrupt the Magna Carta. .
“Police arrested two people on suspicion of criminal damage and both are currently in custody.
“The damage caused was to the protective casing and not to the exhibit itself.”
This is not the first time someone has tried to obtain a copy of Magna Carta.
In 2018, Mark Royden, from Canterbury, Kent, attempted to steal a copy from Salisbury Cathedral and is said to have smashed the 800-year-old document's protective box.
He was found guilty of attempted theft and causing criminal damage, the cost of repairs being £14,466.
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