Two climate activists were charged with criminal damage following the vandalization of University of Edinburgh alumni Charles Darwin’s grave in Westminster Abbey last week.
Best known for his theories on evolution during the nineteenth century, Charles Darwin was a naturalist, geologist, and biologist who proved that populations evolve through the process of natural selection.
Activists Alyson Lee, 66, and Diane Bligh, 77, vandalised Darwin’s grave in a protest against rising global temperatures. They are affiliated with the climate group Just Stop Oil, which has an objective of prohibiting the use of all fossil fuels by 2030.
The group are best known for their controversial and radical protests, which include throwing paint at famous artwork and blocking road vehicles.
The protesters sprayed orange chalk paint across Darwin’s grave, writing “1.5 is dead.”
In a statement from Just Stop Oil, Lee said: “Ten years on from the Paris Agreement, we have already exceeded the so-called safe temperature rise of 1.5 degrees, and are heading for over 3 degrees of warming. This rapidly accelerating crisis means huge parts of the world will become unable to support life, resulting in millions of refugees, social collapse and extinction for countless species.”
Both activists are to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on the 11th and 12th February.
Darwin enrolled at the University of Edinburgh in 1825 to study medicine at 16 years old. November 2009 marked 150 years since his book On the Origin of Species was published.
Darwin’s legacy continues at Edinburgh University with “the new Darwin” to be built in place of the existing Darwin Tower. The building will create a bioscience hub and support the institution’s vision for interdisciplinary biology.
“<div class=’fn’> Charles Darwin, On the Expression of the Emotions</div>” is licensed under CC BY 4.0.