Tennis

Just Stop Oil protesters throw confetti and jigsaw pieces during Wimbledon match

68-year-old Deborah Wilde and 66-year-old Simon Milner-Edwards ran on to Court 18 during play

Just Stop Oil protesters are detained by police after throwing orange confetti and jigsaw pieces on to Court at Wimbledon. Photograph: Jonathan Veal/PA Wire
Just Stop Oil protesters are detained by police after throwing orange confetti and jigsaw pieces on to Court at Wimbledon. Photograph: Jonathan Veal/PA Wire
Wed Jul 05 2023 - 15:13

Two Just Stop Oil protesters have disrupted Wimbledon by throwing orange-coloured confetti and jigsaw pieces on Court 18.

The activists ran on to the court during a match between Grigor Dimitrov and Sho Shimabukuro before one of them sat down.

In a statement, Just Stop Oil said “we can’t leave it to the next generation to pick up the pieces”.

Deborah Wilde, 68, a retired teacher from London, ran on the court shortly after 2.10pm.

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She 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! We don’t need Hawk-Eye to see that our government issuing over 100 new fossil fuel licences is a very bad line-call.

Ball girls pick up the orange confetti thrown by a Just Stop Oil demonstrator on Court 18. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images
Ball girls pick up the orange confetti thrown by a Just Stop Oil demonstrator on Court 18. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images

“Forget strawberries and cream, scientists are warning of impending food shortages, mass displacement and war.

“We are facing new pandemics, economic inflation and increasingly authoritarian governments who will attempt to crush civil unrest.

“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 Just Stop Oil protester who invaded Court 18 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.

“The last thing I want to do is spoil people’s enjoyment of Wimbledon, but right now, on Centre Court, it’s humanity versus oil and gas – and the umpire is getting every call wrong.

“How long are we going to take this before we see a McEnroe-level meltdown?”