Climate protesters interrupt two matches at Wimbledon

As if the Wimbledon schedule wasn’t disrupted enough with the British weather, protesters took to Court 18 on Wednesday.

The invaders threw confetti and jigsaw pieces during the match between Grigor Dimitrov and Sho Shimabukuro – and then did the same again two hours later as Katie Boulter and Daria Saville went into their first-set tiebreak.

There has been a disruption to play on Court 18 – the anticipated/feared Just Stop Oil action.

Looks like protesters threw some golden confetti and … a jigsaw of Centre Court.

Presumably bought at the Wimbledon shop. pic.twitter.com/Lo4O3lEO1W

— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) July 5, 2023

Just Stop Oil: Wimbledon are under fire

The colour of the confetti – orange – suggested that the protest was led by the Just Stop Oil campaigners.

And they later confirmed that they were responsible for the intrusion.

They wrote on Twitter: “At 14:08, two Just Stop Oil supporters ran onto Court 18 at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, disrupting the match between Sho Shimabukuro and Grigor Dimitrov by throwing environmentally friendly orange confetti glitter and jigsaw pieces onto the courts before being removed.

“Play was briefly delayed whilst marshals picked up the pieces. Today’s action comes as the Met Office confirmed on Monday that this June has been the hottest on record, with the average monthly temperature of 15.8°C exceeding the previous record set in 1976 by 0.9°C.

“The Wimbledon Championships are currently under fire after signing a sponsorship deal with Barclays, who have given £30 billion to oil and gas companies, including Exxon Mobil, Shell and Total Energies, in the last two years.”

🎾 BREAKING: Just Stop Oil Disrupt @Wimbledon

🎉 “Once more, orange clouds hang over a British sporting event this summer—this time it’s ticker tape rather than paint dust, but it is an intrusion and will need sorting out.”

🚷 Sign up to take action at https://t.co/7BzUVS02dZ pic.twitter.com/2iaoo6GNdO

— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) July 5, 2023

Another protester threw more confetti as Boulter and Saville edged towards the end of their first set; both players joined in with the clear-up operation, keen to continue their match after it had already been delayed from Tuesday by rain.

Henman: Disruption is disappointing

Tim Henman, on the board of the All England Club who host Wimbledon, told the BBC after the first protest: “When you’ve got 35,000 people coming to your grounds and 18 fields of play, it’s not easy. It’s frustrating.

“We’ve had enough disruptions with the weather, to get a disruption like that is disappointing.”

The tournament later issued a statement saying that the protesters had been arrested for aggravated trespass and criminal damage.

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