After the Oil Stop protester jumped onto a table covered in orange powder, a woman and a man have been arrested.
The disturbance occurred while Robert Milkins was taking the initial shots of his World Snooker Championship game against his compatriot Joe Perry at The Crucible.
Perry was just about to take his chance before a man dashed onto the snooker table and disturbed the game.
Tossing the orange powder onto the table, he was visible donning a white shirt with the inscription ‘Cease Petroleum’ on it.
Another protester could be seen on the adjacent game, but she was stopped in her tracks by security before getting onto the table.
The demonstrators were detained behind the scenes by security until the authorities arrived.
South Yorkshire Police issued a statement later this evening (Monday 17 April), stating that they had gained access to The Crucible earlier after two individuals who were protesting had been detained.
“A 30-year-old male and a 52-year-old female were apprehended on suspicion of vandalism. Both are in police detention.”
Two individuals who support Just Stop Oil have caused a disturbance at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield during the World Snooker Championship, interrupting the ongoing play. This incident occurred at approximately 7:20pm and was reported on Twitter by Just Stop Oil.
“The duo went on to spread orange powder paint all over the tables before being escorted out by security and apprehended.
They are demanding that the UK government immediately cease all new fossil fuel projects, calling on sporting institutions in the UK to step up in civil resistance against the genocidal policies of the Government.
Allen Mark also took time to return to Perry and Milkins with Sheffield in the arena later in the evening, while Zhengyi Fan escorted them and resumed their play.
The initial meeting of Milkins and Perry is now rescheduled for Tuesday evening, as opposed to their originally planned second meeting. The final session will occur on Thursday morning.
“The incident, referred to as ‘frightening,’ prompted television to seek comments from seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry. ‘It’s a first,’ I have never witnessed such an event in snooker before.”
It is not the first time that the group calling for the halt of licensing and production of new fossil fuels has disrupted sporting events.
Last season at Goodison Park, a demonstrator used a zip tie to fasten his neck to a goalpost, resulting in a disruption in Everton’s match against Newcastle.
Dale Vince, the proprietor of Forest Green Rovers, conveyed to talkSPORT that he offered monetary assistance to the protesters when they targeted Premier League games.
Just before the start of the British Grand Prix last summer, members of Oil Stop were also affected as they were being dragged off the track by marshals at Silverstone.
The individuals being apprehended were 65 in number, with the police making a total of 118 arrests. The commencement of the recent Grand National race was postponed due to the efforts of animal rights activists attempting to gain access to the track.