Sue Parfitt, 82, from Bristol, and Judith Bruce, 85, from Swansea, attempted to break the glass containing the historic Magna Carta document. Two women, who used hammers and chisels in their protests, were stopped by the intervention of library staff. The activists then continued their protests by holding banners in their hands. “The government is breaking the law,” reads a banner. The activists are expected to appear in court on June 20 for their actions.
In the statement made by the British Library, it was said that there was minor damage to the glass containing the Magna Carta document, and the institution’s security guards intervened and prevented the damage.
It was added that Magna Carta was not damaged.
Following the incident, the gallery in the library was closed to visitors for a while.
The campaign group Just Stop Oil has been holding demonstrations in museums for a while to draw attention to climate change and force the government to take action.
The tactics of the Just Stop Oil group are based on organizing “non-violent civil disobedience” to make their demands more visible in the public sphere, similar to the Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain movements.
WHAT IS MAGNA CARTA?
Magna Carta, meaning “Great Contract”, is an English document signed in the 13th century.
Magna Carta is considered the most important document that lists fundamental rights and includes the principle that “no one, including the King, is above the law.”
With this document, the powers of the King of England were restricted for the first time and some rights were granted to the feudal lords. Magna Carta is one of the most important steps in the process leading to today’s constitutional order.
In this respect, it also inspired the American Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
