Two protesters briefly halted play during a men’s singles first-round match at Wimbledon on Wednesday after storming onto the grass court, dispersing confetti and jigsaw pieces in the process.
Wimbledon organizers released a statement Wednesday announcing that two Just Stop Oil protesters were arrested and charged with suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage following a demonstration on Court 18.
Just Stop Oil protesters are detained by police after throwing orange confetti on court 18 on day three of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London Wednesday, July 5, 2023. (Jonathan Veal/PA Images via Getty Images)
The group released a statement as well, sharing a video of the moment and the purpose behind the demonstration.
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“At 14:08, two Just Stop Oil supporters ran onto Court 18 at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, disrupting the match between Sho Shimabukuro and Grigor Dimitrov by throwing environmentally friendly orange confetti glitter and jigsaw pieces onto the courts before being removed.”
“Today’s action comes as the @metoffice confirmed on Monday that this June has been the hottest on record, with the average monthly temperature of 15.8°C exceeding the previous record set in 1976 by 0.9°C.”
Securities attempt to clear the court after protesters interrupted the Men’s Singles first round match between Sho Shimabukuro of Japan and Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during day three of The Championships Wimbledon 2023 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 5, 2023 in London. (Shi Tang/Getty Images)
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The statement continued, “The @Wimbledon Championships are currently under fire after signing a sponsorship deal with @Barclays, who have given £30 billion to oil and gas companies, including @exxonmobil, @Shell and @TotalEnergies, in the last two years.”
The match was briefly delayed because of the interruption and again due to the weather.
Security attempt to clear the court after protesters interrupted the Men’s Singles first round match between Sho Shimabukuro of Japan and Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during day three of The Championships Wimbledon 2023 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 5, 2023 in London. (Shi Tang/Getty Images)
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The protest follows organizers announcing days earlier that security measures would be beefed up in an attempt to thwart environmental protest, Reuters reported.
“As we’ve seen in other sporting events, we can’t guarantee anything, but we are extremely confident that the measures we’ve got in place are the right measures, and we’re ready to deal with something if it happens,” said Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Club.
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