The World Snooker Championship was interrupted by protestors from the Just Stop Oil campaign, who poured orange powder paint over one of the tables, leading to a 24-hour suspension in the match between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry. The incident occurred during the opening frame when a man jumped onto the table and emptied the powder, causing extensive damage. Despite the quick response of two security guards, the activist was able to carry out his disruption before being removed from the arena.
Disruption beyond repair
In another incident, a female protester attempted to glue herself to the other table during the match between Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi, but was prevented by the referee, Olivier Marteel. Both protestors wore T-shirts supporting the Just Stop Oil campaign, which focuses on climate change activism.
Play was suspended on both tables as vacuum cleaners were used to clean up the mess, and it was later determined that the tablecloth was damaged beyond repair, leading to its replacement overnight. As a result, the Milkins-Perry match was postponed until Tuesday evening at 7 p.m., and the venue would be opened early on Thursday at 9.30 a.m. to conclude the first-round tie.
Approximately 45 minutes after the incident, the match between Allen and Fan resumed. Just Stop Oil released a statement after the protest, acknowledging the disruption caused by their supporters at the World Snooker Championship.
“At around 7:20pm, two Just Stop Oil supporters disrupted the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, interrupting play.
“The pair proceeded to cover the tables in orange powder paint before being removed by security and arrested."
“They are demanding that the Government immediately stop all new UK fossil fuel projects and are calling on UK sporting institutions to step into civil resistance against the Government’s genocidal policies.”
