Two activists from Just Stop Oil pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal damage for allegedly spray-painting the tomb of Charles Darwin in Westminster Abbey. Alyson Lee (66) and Diane Bligh (77) appeared before the Southwark Crown Court on 12 March 2025 accused of defacing Darwin’s tomb by painting “1.5 is dead” in orange paint – a phrase referring to climate change and the 1.5 degrees Celsius target set in the Paris Agreement.
The prosecution stated the women were observed entering the Abbey wearing Just Stop Oil t-shirts, and subsequently defacing the tomb. The costs to clean the memorial were £15 in materials and several hours of labor from specialists.
The defendants declined legal counsel and told the court they believed they would not receive a fair trial. Lee told the court she “may well be using the defence of the impossibility of having a fair trial on the basis that the judicial system is failing to prosecute the real system.” She added the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had failed to prosecute serious environmental polluters, which led them to attack the Darwin tomb in the Abbey.
Lee and Bligh were bound over for trial and ordered to appear in 14 months, on 4 May 2026, with the proceedings expected to last three days.
