Taylor Swift is currently in the U.K. for the latest leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour where she’s no doubt improving the economy, increasing public transport ridership and putting on a stunning show. That’s not why she’s in the news this Friday, though, instead it’s because climate protesters snuck onto an airfield to try and spray paint her private jet. However, they got the wrong plane.
A pair of protesters from U.K. environmental group Just Stop Oil broke into Stansted Airport to the north of the UK capital, London, Thursday morning, reports Sky News. The pair, who have been identified by authorities as Jennifer Kowalski, 28, and Cole Macdonald, 22, cut through the airport’s perimeter fence before making a beeline for two private jets that they covered in orange paint.
In a post on X, the climate activists said they targeted the airfield just “hours after” Swift’s jet had landed at the site. They said their actions were to highlight the need for an “emergency treaty to end fossil fuels by 2030.”
While the intentions of the group were in the right place, as we really do need to stop using so much oil, they didn’t quite execute their protest perfectly. In fact, they missed Swift’s jet completely and covered some other billionaire’s private plane in orange paint, which is a far less dramatic move. As Sky reports:
Swift has three shows as part of her worldwide Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium in London on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, having performed in Cardiff this week – though it isn’t clear if her plane was one of those targeted.
On Thursday morning’s incident, Just Stop Oil said: “At around 5am Jennifer Kowalski and Cole Macdonald entered the private airfield at Stansted airport where Swift’s jet is currently stationed.
“The pair painted two private jets using fire extinguishers filled with orange paint.”
The use of Swift’s private jet has been a hot topic in recent months, with the American singer attempting to block a U.S. student who has been posting the location of her plane online. It’s use has also sparked debate among her fans as it has made the American singer one of the country’s biggest polluters.
As many of the singer’s biggest fans point out, the alternative for Swift is to fly on public planes like the rest of us. However, I don’t know if you’ve seen the chaos that follows her wherever she goes, but I certainly don’t need that pandemonium when I’m passing through an airport.
