A brace of aged protestors brazenly hammered the solid protecting the Magna Carta successful an effort to smash it, earlier gluing themselves to the show arsenic portion of a Just Stop Oil protest.
Reverend Dr Sue Parfitt, 82, an progressive Anglican priest, author, and retired psychotherapist from Bristol, and Judy Bruce, 85, a retired biology teacher from Swansea, entered the British Library and utilized a hammer and chisel to harm the solid enclosure astir the past tome, astatine astir 10.40am connected Friday morning.
The brace past proceeded to glue themselves to the enclosure, portion holding a motion reading: 'The authorities is breaking the law' and could beryllium heard saying: 'Is the authorities supra the law?'
The Magna Carta is simply a revered ineligible papers dating backmost much than 800 years ago, which established for the archetypal clip that neither monarch nor authorities was supra the instrumentality and acceptable retired principles of liberty that person endured done the centuries.
This celebrated royal charter of rights was agreed by King John astatine Runnymede, adjacent Windsor, connected 15 June 1215.
A connection from the British Library confirmed the hardened solid enclosure was 'minimally damaged', portion the Magna Carta itself remains intact.
The connection said: 'An incidental occurred astatine the British Library connected Friday 10 May successful which 2 individuals attacked the toughened solid lawsuit containing the Magna Carta successful the Library's Treasures Gallery.
'The Library's Security squad intervened to forestall further harm to the case, which was minimal.
Reverend Dr Sue Parfitt, 82, an progressive Anglican priest, and Judy Bruce, 85, a retired biology teacher from Swansea, entered the British Library and utilized a hammer and chisel to shatter the solid enclosure astir the past tome
'The constabulary were notified and the Magna Carta itself remains undamaged.
'The Treasures Gallery is temporarily closed until further notice.'
In a connection appearing connected the Just Stop Oil website, protestor Judy Bruce said:
'This week 400 respected scientists - contributors to IPCC reports - are saying we are 'woefully unprepared' for what's coming: 2.5 oregon much degrees of heating supra pre concern levels.'
'Instead of acting, our dysfunctional authorities is similar the 3 monkeys: 'see nothing, perceive nothing, accidental nothing, unreal we've got 25 years'.. We haven't! We indispensable get disconnected our addiction to lipid and state by 2030 – starting now.'
Meanwhile Reverend Dr Sue Parfitt said: 'The Magna Carta is rightly revered, being of large value to our history, to our freedoms and to our laws.
'But determination volition beryllium nary freedom, nary lawfulness, nary rights, if we let clime breakdown to go the catastrophe that is present threatened.'
WHAT IS THE MAGNA CARTA?
King John issued the Magna Carta successful 1215 aft agreeing bid presumption with a set of rebel barons and it is present 1 of the world's astir celebrated ineligible documents.
An illustration of King John signing the celebrated papers astatine Runnymede successful 1215
Many radical believed King John to beryllium 1 of the worst kings successful past aft helium imprisoned his erstwhile wife, starved opponents to decease and murdered his nephew.
He besides imposed dense taxes connected his barons for costly wars and if they refused to wage helium punished them.
But the barons demanded helium obey by the instrumentality and captured London truthful King John was forced to negotiate.
The 2 sides met astatine Runnymede successful June 1215 and they wrote the Magna Carta.
It established for the archetypal clip that neither monarch nor authorities was supra the instrumentality and acceptable retired principles of liberty which echoed done the centuries.
The astir celebrated clause, which is inactive the instrumentality today, gave each ‘free men’ the close to justness and a just trial.
Two different clauses are inactive successful unit contiguous - the state of the English Church and the past liberties of the City of London.
King John died of dysentery successful 1216 and 9 twelvemonth aged Henry III took to the throne.
Magna Carta was reissued respective times during the 13th century, until it was yet made portion of English law.
The past papers has lived connected for 800 years, and is utilized successful the United States Declaration of Independence and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Source: British Library
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