Protesters briefly interrupted play on the third day of Wimbledon on Wednesday, releasing orange confetti on Court 18 during a men’s singles match.
Two sexagenarian protesters from Just Stop Oil ran on to the court and threw the material, smuggled inside a Wimbledon jigsaw box, before one sat cross-legged on the turf.
Security staff quickly removed the individual who did not resist. Ground staff swept and vacuumed the confetti off the court and there appeared to be no damage.
The first-round match between Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro and Bulgarian No.21 seed Grigor Dimitrov was briefly suspended.
Rain then halted play for the third time in the day with Dimitrov 6-1 1-0 up.
Deborah Wilde, 68, a retired teacher from London, who was one of the protesters who ran on the court, said: “I’m just an ordinary grandmother in resistance to this government’s policy of serving us new oil and gas licences. In normal circumstances this sort of disruption would be entirely unacceptable, but these aren’t normal circumstances.
“We’ve just had the hottest June on record, breaking the previous record by nearly a whole degree.
“Forget strawberries and cream, scientists are warning of impending food shortages, mass displacement and war.
“This is a crisis and it needs a crisis response. I want a safe future, not just for my grandchildren but for all children around the world and the generations to come.”
The other protester was Simon Milner-Edwards, 66, a retired musician, from Manchester.
He said: “I’m here for my grandchildren and everybody else’s. I’m not prepared to let our politicians wreck everything and leave the next generation to pick up the pieces.”
Security had been beefed up for the grass-court Grand Slam, one of the jewels of the British sporting summer, after a spate of protests at high-level events in Britain.
The environmental group disrupted the second Ashes Test at Lord’s last week, attempting to spread orange powder on the wicket.
They also intervened in this year’s Premiership Rugby final and the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield where they smeared orange powder over a table.
This weekend’s British grand prix is also thought to be a target.
-with PA
