Two eight-year-old environmentalists were charged with damaging a Magna Carta with a hammer

A copy of the Magna Carta, the founding text of modern democracy, on display at the British Library in London, struck with a hammer and chisel. Two women, aged 82 and 85, who are environmental activists from Just Stop Oil, have been charged.

Two octogenarians from the environmental group Just Stop Oil were charged this Saturday, May 11, with vandalizing a display case protecting a copy of Magna Carta, the founding text of modern democracy, on display at the British Library in London the day before.

A video posted by the group, which is used to spectacular stunts, shows two women striking thick glass with hammers and chisels.

Both activists were immediately arrested. They were charged with “criminal damage” on Saturday and released on bail. They are due to appear in a London court on June 20.

“Our government is breaking its own laws”

The British Library holds two of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta, which in 1215 establishes that the king and his government are not above the law.

“This document is about the rule of law and against abuse of power. Our government is breaking its own laws,” Judy Bruce, 85, says in a Just Stop Oil video.

Reverend Sue Parfitt, 82, continues, “I am a Christian and I am compelled to do everything I can to alleviate the terrible suffering that is going on right now.

“minor damage”

According to Just Stop Oil, which is campaigning for the government to establish a plan to end the use of fossil fuels by 2030, the two octogenarians joined hands.

The British Library said the two activists caused “minor damage” to the window, without damaging the Magna Carta. The “Treasure Gallery” where the Magna Carta is on display is closed.

Magna Carta was signed on June 15, 1215 by King John Lockland of England under pressure from rebels eager to curb royal authority. It inspired many legal texts, including the Bill of Rights of 1628, the United States Constitution of 1787, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.