Just Stop Oil disrupts Sigourney Weaver West End play

Two people have been arrested after protesters from Just Stop Oil disrupted a performance of The Tempest, starring Sigourney Weaver in London’s West End.

A man and a woman from the environmental campaign group climbed on to the stage at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Monday evening.

They launched a confetti canon and a voice called out: “We’ll have to stop the show, ladies and gents, sorry.”

Hollywood actress Weaver, who had been sitting in a chair on stage, was escorted away by a member of the theatre’s staff.

On Tuesday, police said a 42-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man had been arrested.

The Metropolitan Police said the pair were being held in custody on suspicion of aggravated trespass.

A video shared by Just Stop Oil showed the protesters being met with boos from the audience – but also a few cheers – before they were then guided off stage after less than a minute.

Alien star Weaver and another actor had been mid-scene when they were interrupted.

The protesters had been holding an orange banner reading “Over 1.5 degrees is a global shipwreck”.

It was a nod to the plot of Shakespeare’s Tempest, which features a ship sinking.

In an online statement, Just Stop Oil said the sign was a reference to a recent finding that annual global temperature rose above the internationally agreed 1.5C target for the first time in 2024.

In recent years, Just Stop Oil has targeted a number of other events and venues including the Chelsea Flower Show, the Proms, Stonehenge and the National Gallery.

Earlier this month, two women were arrested after they spray-painted over naturalist Charles Darwin’s grave inside Westminster Abbey.