Just Stop Oil targets Taylor Swift’s jet – but fails to find it

Two women have been arrested after Just Stop Oil attempted to spray Taylor Swift’s jet with orange paint - but failed to find it.

Cole Macdonald, 22, and 28-year-old Jennifer Kowalski are said to have entered the airfield at London Stansted Airport at around 5am on Thursday.

Essex Police later said two women were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use of national infrastructure after orange paint was sprayed on two planes.

It is understood the two climate activists attempted to target Swift’s jet, claiming they knew its tail number, but could not find it. Instead, they sprayed two jets at random using fire extinguishers filled with orange paint.

Swift had landed at the private terminal at the Essex airport hours earlier, Just Stop Oil said, with the American singer scheduled to perform at Wembley Stadium on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week.

It has now emerged that Ms Kowalski was previously a fan of Swift and met her backstage after a show in 2015.

In an interview with an environmental magazine, she said: “I was one of 15 people chosen, out of about 14,000 to meet the legend that is Taylor Swift backstage after her show in Glasgow. A pretty good achievement if you ask me!”

She added that Swift’s song Marjorie, released in 2020, was an inspiration and the lyrics “Never be so polite, you forget your power; never wield such power, you forget to be polite” was her favourite quote.

On her Facebook page she also shared a collage of her favourite pictures of Swift while a biology student at the University of Aberdeen.

In a statement on the JSO website, Ms Kowalski, a former sustainability manager from Dumbarton, said: “Over the years, I’ve had to realise that even working in sustainability provides me with essentially no ability to make the necessary changes to prevent the complete collapse of our natural systems. I have to take desperate measures to make my voice heard.”

A spokesperson for JSO told The Telegraph Ms Kowalski “remained the biggest Taylor Swift fan”.

Ms Macdonald, from Brighton, East Sussex, said: “We’re living in two worlds – one where billionaires live in luxury, able to fly in private jets away from the other, where unlivable conditions are being imposed on countless millions.

“Meanwhile, this system that is allowing extreme wealth to be accrued by a few, to the detriment of everyone else, is destroying the conditions necessary to support human life in a rapidly accelerating never-ending ‘cruel summer’. Billionaires are not untouchable – climate breakdown will affect every single one of us.”

A Just Stop Oil spokesman said: “Whilst governments are allowing oil corporations to run amok, destroying our communities, the actions of individuals mean very little. That’s why Just Stop Oil is demanding that our next government signs up to a legally-binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.

“Failure to defend the people they represent will mean Just Stop Oil supporters, along with citizens from Austria, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and Switzerland will join in resistance this summer if their own governments do not take meaningful action.”

Essex Police said in a statement: “Officers were on the scene within minutes and detained two people. The airport and flights are operating as normal.

“A 22-year-old woman from Brighton and a 28-year-old woman from Dumbarton have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use or operation of national infrastructure.”

Swift has been contacted for comment.

On Wednesday, Just Stop Oil attracted a storm of criticism after two protesters sprayed orange powder over Stonehenge the day before the summer solstice.

Niamh Lynch, 21, and Rajan Naidum, 73, were filmed vandalising the stone circle near Salisbury with repurposed fire extinguishers. Wiltshire Police arrested the activists “on suspicion of damaging the ancient monument”.