Just Stop Oil target the Magna Carta: Fury as Anglican priest, 82, and retired teacher, 85, use hammer and chisel to try and smash protective glass then glue themselves to display - before pair are arrested by police at British Library

A pair of elderly protestors brazenly hammered the glass protecting the Magna Carta in an attempt to smash it, before gluing themselves to the display as part of a Just Stop Oil protest.

Reverend Dr Sue Parfitt, 82, an active Anglican priest, author, and retired psychotherapist from Bristol, and Judy Bruce, 85, a retired biology teacher from Swansea, entered the British Library and used a hammer and chisel to damage the glass enclosure around the ancient tome, at around 10.40am on Friday morning.

The pair then proceeded to glue themselves to the enclosure, while holding a sign reading: 'The government is breaking the law' and could be heard saying: 'Is the government above the law?'

They carried out the action to demand an emergency plan to stop new oil and gas licenses by 2030. 

Met Police confirmed two people have been arrested and are currently in custody.  

In video footage of the incident, the pair can be seen going up to the toughened glass before using a hammer and chisel to cause damage to the casing. 

Judy Bruce then states aloud: 'This famous document is about the rule of law and standing up against an abuse of power.

'And second of all, our government is breaking it's own laws.'

Reverend Dr Parfitt then added: 'As a Christian I am compelled to do all that I can to alleviate the appalling suffering that's already coming down the line and is here already.' 

As the video footage ended, the pair then appeared to glue their hands to the display glass. 

The Magna Carta is a revered legal document dating back more than 800 years ago, which established for the first time that neither monarch nor government was above the law and set out principles of liberty that have endured through the centuries.

This famous royal charter of rights was agreed by King John at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215.

The pair of elderly Just Stop Oil activists have appeared together before.

In November, they interrupted a Thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral by walking up to the front and holding up bright orange posters saying 'just stop oil' and 'will our children thank us?' 

A statement from the British Library confirmed the hardened glass enclosure was 'minimally damaged', while the Magna Carta itself remains intact.

The statement said: 'An incident occurred at the British Library on Friday 10 May in which two individuals attacked the toughened glass case containing the Magna Carta in the Library's Treasures Gallery. 

'The Library's Security team intervened to prevent further damage to the case, which was minimal. 

'The police were notified and the Magna Carta itself remains undamaged. 

'The Treasures Gallery is temporarily closed until further notice.'

Met Police confirmed the incident this morning and said two arrests had been made.

A statement said: 'At 10.52am police were called to the British Library to reports of Just Stop Oil activists trying to damage the Magna Carta. 

'Officers arrested two people on suspicion of criminal damage, both of which are currently in custody. 

'The damage caused was to the protective case and not the exhibit itself.'

In a statement appearing on the Just Stop Oil website this morning, protestor Judy Bruce said: 'This week 400 respected scientists - contributors to IPCC reports - are saying we are 'woefully unprepared' for what's coming: 2.5 or more degrees of heating above pre industrial levels.'

'Instead of acting, our dysfunctional government is like the three monkeys: 'see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing, pretend we've got 25 years'.. We haven't! We must get off our addiction to oil and gas by 2030 – starting now.'

Meanwhile Rev Dr Sue Parfitt said: 'The Magna Carta is rightly revered, being of great importance to our history, to our freedoms and to our laws. 

'But there will be no freedom, no lawfulness, no rights, if we allow climate breakdown to become the catastrophe that is now threatened.'

Rev Dr Parfitt has previously been arrested for participating in climate protest action. 

In 2022, she was among 16 people arrested for causing gridlock as eco protesters sat in the middle of the road and displayed banners, as well as gluing themselves to the tarmac near Holborn tube station.

Rev. Parfitt was also arrested for sitting in her camp chair outside the MoD's Abbey Wood site near Bristol and was found guilty of obstruction of a highway at Bristol Magistrates' Court in 2021. 

However, on that occasion Bristol appeal court ruled that the Reverend had a 'lawful excuse' for her peaceful protest and that her use of the road was 'reasonable'.  

Rev. Parfitt was also acquitted for climbing on top of a train at Shadwell DLR tube station and refusing to move until officers arrived in October 2019.