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Magna Carta case damaged by Just Stop Oil protesters at British Library

Just Stop Oil Reverend Sue Parfitt and Judy Bruce hold a sign which reads 'The Government is breaking the law'Just Stop Oil
The protesters used a chisel and hammer to smash the glass case covering the Magna Carta

Two Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested after damaging the case around the Magna Carta at the British Library.

Reverend Sue Parfitt, 82, and Judy Bruce, 85, a retired biology teacher, targeted the glass enclosure around the historic document on Friday.

The pair then held up a sign reading "The Government is breaking the law" before gluing themselves to the display, footage posted online shows.

The British Library said security had "intervened to prevent further damage".

The Metropolitan Police said two people had been taken into custody having been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

The British Library said the damage to the case, which was caused at about 10:40 BST, was "minimal" and police said the document itself was not harmed.

Rev Parfitt, who held a chisel while Ms Bruce used a hammer, said: "The Magna Carta is rightly revered, being of great importance to our history, to our freedoms and to our laws.

"But there will be no freedom, no lawfulness, no rights, if we allow climate breakdown to become the catastrophe that is now threatened."

She added: "We must get things in proportion. The abundance of life on earth, the climate stability that allows civilisation to continue is what must be revered and protected above all else, even above our most precious artefacts."

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What is Magna Carta?

Getty Images Magna CartaGetty Images
  • Magna Carta outlined basic rights with the principle that no-one was above the law, including the king
  • It charted the right to a fair trial, and 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 - the one guaranteeing the liberties of the English Church; the clause confirming the privileges of the City of London and other towns; and the clause that states that no free man shall be imprisoned without the lawful judgement of his equals
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