The sacred grounds of Wimbledon were desecrated by two brazen activists from the Just Stop Oil group. Deborah Wilde, 68, and Simon Milner-Edwards, 66, halted a match between Sho Shimabukuro and Grigor Dimitrov, two of the world’s foremost tennis players, to throw confetti and scatter jigsaw pieces on Centre Court. Their goal? To demand the UK government halt all new licenses and consents for oil, gas, and coal production.
Just Stop Oil use a jigsaw and confetti to halt play on Court 18 at #Wimbledon @BBCSport pic.twitter.com/cdgbD9ZiMe
— Sanny Rudravajhala 📻📺📝 (@SannyR1985) July 5, 2023
This is just the latest in a string of disruptions caused by the eco-coalition. According to their own statements, the group has caused 2,200 arrests and 138 imprisonments since they launched their campaign on February 14th, 2022. Their tactics are anarchic and their aims are nefarious. What kind of society do they envision, where the rule of law is set aside in favor of the whims of self-appointed environmental zealots?
Wilde and Milner-Edwards may claim to be fighting for the future, but their actions show that they are willing to destroy the present. Wimbledon is one of the world’s most beloved sporting events, a spectacle that brings joy and excitement to millions. But the Just Stop Oil group has no regard for anyone’s happiness other than their own.
The second protester is now being removed from the grounds by police #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/1XRSPsam4F
— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) July 5, 2023
The protesters’ words belie their true intentions. Milner-Edwards claims to be “here for his grandchildren and everybody else’s.” But what kind of world will those grandchildren inherit if the UK government halts all new licenses and consents for oil, gas, and coal production? Energy is the lifeblood of modern society, and without it, everything would grind to a halt.
But the Just Stop Oil group doesn’t care about the consequences of their actions. They want to bring society to its knees, to force everyone to live in a world subdued by their arbitrary dictates. They want to deny society the energy it needs to flourish, to create jobs, to drive technological innovation, and to lift people out of poverty.
Their tactics are intolerable, and their rhetoric is insidious. This is not a fight for the environment. It is a fight against freedom, against progress, and against everything that makes society worth living in. Their actions at Wimbledon must be condemned in the strongest possible terms, and their campaign against energy production must be stopped before it causes even more harm.
