Two Just Stop Oil activists were arrested after disrupting a performance of “The Tempest” starring Sigourney Weaver at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. The activists, identified as Hayley Walsh, 42, and Richard Weir, 60, stormed the stage during the show and launched a confetti cannon while carrying a sign that read “Over 1.5 degrees is a global shipwreck.”
The incident caused the performance to be temporarily halted, with Weaver being escorted off stage amid boos and cheers from the audience. Walsh and Weir were detained on suspicion of aggravated trespass following the protest.
Walsh, a lecturer from Nottingham, expressed her concerns about the future, citing the impact of climate change on her children’s lives. She mentioned wildfires in California, floods in Valencia, and power outages in the UK as examples of the current effects of the climate crisis. Weir, from Tynemouth, North Tyneside, drew parallels between the inaction he witnessed in the shipyards where he started his career and the current failure of political leaders to address the climate crisis.
Protest halts London’s Theatre Royal play
He warned of the devastating effects on agriculture, communities, and infrastructure if significant action is not taken by 2030. The protest is part of a broader campaign by Just Stop Oil to demand a global treaty to halt fossil fuel burning and implement immediate climate action.
The activists emphasize that the climate crisis is not a distant future problem but one that is already affecting the world. The message on the protesters’ banner referenced the recent announcement that 2024 was the warmest year on record globally and the first full year when the average temperature exceeded preindustrial levels by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Weaver’s production of “The Tempest,” in which she plays the magician Prospero, has been running since December and will continue until February 1.
The Metropolitan Police and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane have been approached for comment on the incident.