Edinburgh Castle was placed on ‘lockdown’ today after a group of eco-clowns smashed through the glass containing the Stone of Destiny in an attention-seeking stunt.
Protesters from the campaign group This Is Rigged tried to smash through the protective box surrounding the legendary stone causing the major Scottish tourist attraction to partly close.
The relic, which weighs nearly 20 stone, played a key role in the King’s Coronation, seeing a team of six transporting in and out of the Great Hall in Westminster.
Officers said two women, aged 20 and 24, and one 20-year-old man, were arrested in connection with the damage caused to the glass pane but confirmed the Honours were not affected.
Activists used pink hammers to try and break down the structure before spray painting the group’s logo onto the artifact’s container. It led to The Crown Room and Royal Apartments at the castle being shut down.
Protesters from the campaign group This Is Rigged tried to break into the glass container holding the Stone of Destiny
The Stone of Destiny is returned England for the first time in more than a quarter of a century, during the King’s coronation in May
Edinburgh Castle was placed on ‘lockdown’ today after a group of eco clowns smashed through the glass containing the Stone of Destiny
The demonstration took place shortly before 11am on Wednesday in the Crown Room.
The activists claimed to have spray-painted the words ‘Is Treasa Tuath Na Tighearna’ – Gaelic for ‘The People Are Mightier Than A Lord’ – on to the glass, alongside the logo of protest group This is Rigged.
The group said the incident echoed the history of the Stone of Destiny, which was repatriated from Westminster Abbey to Scotland by a group of University of Glasgow students 700 years after the stone was stolen in the Wars of Independence.
Glasgow students Joe Madden and Catriona Roberts said they smashed into the case to demand immediate action.
This is Rigged issued two demands – that supermarkets reduce the price of baby products by a quarter, and that the Scottish Government fully funds a community food hub per every 500 households, providing three meals a day to anyone who needs them.
It cited the right to food, which is part of the International Covenant on Social, Cultural and Economic Rights, part of the International Bill of Human Rights.
In a statement, the group said: ‘Food is a human right. Hunger is a political choice. The times we live in are defined by crisis, by instability, by greed.
‘We are already facing a crisis in every basic human need – housing, energy and food – leaving us massively unprepared and under-resourced for the impacts of climate breakdown.
‘Food is revolutionary – community is a necessity. When our crops are failing, our water sources dry up, and the land on which we live is decimated, the real revolutionary thing is to take collective responsibility and stand with one another.’
Joe Madden (left), 21, and Catriona Roberts (right), 21, who smashed the case are both students in Glasgow
A Police Scotland spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Around 10.45am on Wednesday, 15 November, we were called to a report of a small protest within Edinburgh Castle.
‘Officers attended and two women aged 20 and 24 years, and a 20-year-old man were arrested in connection with damage caused. Enquiries are ongoing.’
A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said: ‘We can confirm that there was a small disturbance in the Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle earlier today and Police were called to the scene.
‘There has been some damage to the protective glass housing the Honours, however the casing was not breached and the Honours themselves were not damaged.
‘The Castle remains open, however we have temporarily closed the Crown Room and Royal Apartments.’
Earlier this year protesters from the group disrupted the men’s Elite Race at the Cycling World Championships by gluing themselves to the road. The action disrupted the race for 50 minutes and left cyclists unable to carry on.
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