Two elderly climate activists, Reverend Dr Sue Parfitt (82) and Judy Bruce (85), broke the glass enclosure around the Magna Carta at the British Library in London on May 10, 2024. The pair glued themselves to the document's enclosure and held up a sign that read 'The government is breaking the law.'
The Magna Carta, an essential foundation for contemporary UK Parliament powers, was not harmed during the incident. The British Library announced that its Treasures Gallery, where the Magna Carta is displayed, was temporarily closed following the incident.
Parfitt and Bruce are part of Just Stop Oil, a group advocating for an emergency plan to end oil, gas, and coal extraction and burning by 2030. They believe that protecting life on Earth and climate stability is more important than preserving historical artefacts in the face of climate breakdown.
The Magna Carta was issued in 1215 and is renowned for being the first document to put into writing that the King and his government were not above the law. The British Library holds two of its four surviving copies.
The High Court ruled earlier in the week that the UK government's climate plan is unlawful, as it lacked sufficient evidence of policies in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Parfitt and Bruce have been involved in numerous climate protests and have been arrested previously. They argue that civil law as it stands allows corporations to buy private laws (injunctions) that circumvent people's rights to trial by jury for speaking out against oil companies, contrasting this with Clause 39 of the Magna Carta which states 'No free man is to be arrested or imprisoned except by the lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land.'
