Two Just Stop Oil protestors halted play at the World Snooker Championship after one threw 'orange powder paint' on a table. The protestors invaded the playing area shortly after the start of the evening session at the Crucible in Sheffield forcing the stoppage.
One of the protestors, a man, interrupted the match between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry by jumping on the table where he released a packet of orange powder paint. A female protester was stopped from attaching themselves to the table where Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi were playing as they were pulled away by referee Olivier Marteel. The protest happened around 7.20pm, with play resumed in the Allen Vs Zhengyi game around 8pm while the other table is cleaned.
Play was immediately suspended as cleaners brought vacuum cleaners into the arena and master of ceremonies Rob Walker was among those helping to sweep up the mess. Just Stop Oil have since posted on their social media pages saying they were behind the protest with their protestors removed by security before being arrested.
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They posted: "NEW OIL AND GAS WILL SNOOKER US. At around 7:20pm, two Just Stop Oil supporters have disrupted the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, interrupting play.
"The pair proceeded to cover the tables in orange powder paint before being removed by security and arrested. They are demanding that the Government immediately stop all new UK fossil fuel projects and are calling on UK sporting institutions to step into in civil resistance against the Government’s genocidal policies."
Officials are working to get play back underway, hoovering and cleaning the powder off the table.
Former world champion Stephen Hendry, on commentary duties for the BBC, said: "I have never seen that before at a snooker event. It’s a first.
"It is scary. Wow! You just hope the cloth can be recovered from that. It caught us all by surprise and then this happens.
"For me, straight away as a snooker player I am thinking: ‘Is the table recoverable?’ We don’t know what that is on the table."
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