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Campaigners in court over Magna Carta incident

PA Media Composite image showing Sue Parfitt, a woman with grey hair wearing a black and red coat, and Judith Bruce, a woman with grey hair tinted glasses and a blue suitPA Media
Reverend Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judith Bruce, 85, each pleaded not guilty to a charge of damaging property

Two women in their 80s have denied damaging the glass around the Magna Carta at the British Library on 10 May.

The Reverend Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judith Bruce, 85, each pleaded not guilty to a charge of damaging property when they appeared at Wood Green Crown Court on Monday.

The women, who are both Just Stop Oil supporters, are accused of damaging the protective casing surrounding the historic document which belongs to and is kept at the library.

Ms Parfitt, of Henbury, Bristol, and Ms Bruce, of Bishopston, Swansea, south Wales, were granted conditional bail.

PA Media/JSO Image of two women, one wearing a JSO t-shirt and the other holding a placard reading "the government is breaking the law"PA Media/JSO
The pair's four-day trial is scheduled to begin on 13 January 2026

In a statement shortly after the incident, the British Library said its security team had intervened and "the Magna Carta itself remains undamaged".

Magna Carta outlined basic rights with the principle that no-one was above the law, including the king, and charted the right to a fair trial, as well as limits on taxation without representation.

It inspired a number of other documents, including the US constitution and the universal declaration of human rights.

Only three clauses are still valid - one guaranteeing the liberties of the English Church; a clause confirming the privileges of the City of London and other towns; and a clause that states that no free man shall be imprisoned without the lawful judgement of his equals.

The pair's four-day trial is scheduled to begin on 13 January 2026.

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