On June 20, 2024, Just Stop Oil protesters broke into a private airfield at Stansted Airport in London. They spray-painted two private jets with orange paint, which is the color associated with their movement. However, Taylor Swift’s private jet was not affected by the vandalism. The two activists, Jennifer Kowalski and Cole Macdonald, entered the airport by cutting through the chain-link fence surrounding the nearby private terminal. The protest was part of the group’s broader campaign against fossil fuel use and the environmental impact of private jets.
Essex Police later arrested the two women, aged 22 and 28, on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with the use of national infrastructure. Swift’s publicist recently clarified that she uses carbon offsets to compensate for her private jet travel.
The activists spray-painted “climate criminals” across the aircraft to highlight high carbon emissions from private jet travel . It joins a raft of other incidents targeting celebrities and other wealthy people who use private jets to make clear that flying has a much bigger environmental footprint than traveling by commercial plane.
Just Stop Oil protesters broke into a private airfield to vandalize Taylor Swift’s private jet.
Neither of the two aircraft that were actually vandalized are owned by Swift. PIC.TWITTER.COM/CH47JQLJRX
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) JUNE 21, 2024
Taylor Swift has been attacked for using jets and wasn’t directly affected by this vandalism, but she remains the high-profile face of environmental impacts from private jet travel. Swift’s publicist recently clarified that she uses carbon offsets to balance out her private jet travel.
