Just Stop Oil protesters have sprayed jets at a London airfield where the group claimed Taylor Swift’s private plane landed hours before.
Two protesters entered a private airfield at Stansted Airport at around 5am on Thursday, painting two jets using fire extinguishers filled with orange paint, the group said.
Essex Police later said two women, aged 22 and 28, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use of national infrastructure.
A statement said: "Officers were on the scene within minutes and detained two people.
"The airport and flights are operating as normal.
"A 22-year-old woman from Brighton and a 28-year-old woman from Dumbarton have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use or operation of national infrastructure."It comes a day after two Just Stop Oil protesters were arrested after spraying the historic Stonehenge monument in orange paint as the group appeared to ramp up their protests.
On Thursday, Just Stop Oil said Cole Macdonald, 22, and Jennifer Kowalski, 28, broke into the private airfield demanding that the incoming UK government works to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.
The pair used an angle grinder to break into the fenced off area before coating the planes in orange paint.
Taylor Swift has previously been criticised for regularly using a private jet to fly short distances.
But the Shake It Off singer’s publicist recently told the BBC she does use carbon offsets to compensate her private jet travel.
Stansted Airport said runway operations were suspended for a short period following the stunt but no flights were disrupted and the airport was operating as normal.
Just Stop Oil previously announced they are planning a serious of protests at airports across the UK and Europe which threaten to cause travel chaos for holidaymakers this summer.
Protesters plan in some cases to glue themselves to runways in the UK and other destinations including Spain, Greece and Turkey.
The environmental activists were labeled “pathetic” by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, while the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described their protest at Stonehenge on Wednesday as a “disgraceful act of vandalism”.
Two protesters were arrested on suspicion of damaging some of the stones at the ancient site near Salisbury, Wiltshire Police said.
Video footage posted on social media showed two people wearing white shirts running up to the monoliths with spray paint canisters around 11am.
The group explained it had used orange cornflour to create “an eye catching spectacle” on Stonehenge, adding that it will wash away in the rain.
But concerns have been raised that rare lichen that live on the stones could be damaged.English Heritage chief executive Dr Nick Merriman said there appeared to be "no visible damage" to Stonehenge after Just Stop Oil activists sprayed it with orange powder paint on Thursday morning.
Dr Merriman told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "It's difficult to understand and we're deeply saddened about this vandalism, but we've been really touched by the messages of sympathy and support we've had.
"Our experts have already managed to clean the orange powder from the stones because we were really worried about what would happen if they got in contact with water.
"So far, there seems to be no visible damage. The site is open to the public again and for the solstice tomorrow."
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said: “Whilst governments are allowing oil corporations to run amok destroying our communities, the actions of individuals mean very little.
“That’s why Just Stop Oil is demanding that our next government sign up to a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.
“Failure to defend the people they represent will mean Just Stop Oil supporters, along with citizens from Austria, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and Switzerland will join in resistance this summer, if their own Governments do not take meaningful action.”
