Wimbledon security personnel encountered their worst nightmare on Wednesday afternoon as environmental activists successfully breached Court 18. Prior to this incident, fans had endured lengthy queues outside the grounds earlier in the week as guards meticulously scanned for newly banned items such as powder and padlocks.
It wasn’t until Day 3 of this year’s tournament that the dreaded protest, which organizers had been apprehensive about, unfolded. Grigor Dimitrov was in the midst of his first-round match against Sho Shimabukuro when two individuals from an environmental protest group managed to access the outer court.
Seated cross-legged on the playing surface, the protestors adorned one half of the court with orange confetti before security intervened and subsequently removed them from the premises with the assistance of the police. “Just Stop Oil supporters have disrupted the Wimbledon Tennis Championships,” declared a statement issued by the environmental protest group.
According to the group’s statement, they are demanding the cessation of all new licenses and approvals for oil, gas, and coal by the UK government. At approximately 14:10, two Just Stop Oil supporters raced onto Court 18, causing disruption during the match between Sho Shimabukuro and Grigor Dimitrov.
