Climate activists targeting Taylor Swift's jet spared jail; judge says 'actions were all about publicity'

Two climate activists were Monday spared jail by a UK court after they sprayed two planes with orange paint to protest US pop star Taylor Swift's use of private jets.

Just Stop Oil (JSO) activists Jennifer Kowalski, 29, and Cole Macdonald, 23, attempted to target Swift's flight with spray paint in June 2024 when the singer, who has faced criticism over her private jet use, was on tour in the UK.

They were handed short suspended jail sentences by a court in east England for spraying and causing criminal damage to two planes that belonged to an insurance firm and an investment group instead.

What the judge had to say

"The actions of the two of you were all about publicity - both for Just Stop Oil and for yourselves," Judge Alexander Mills said.

"What greater publicity could there be than anything related to Taylor Swift?... That's what you hoped to achieve."

About the incident

The protesters had entered the airfield at Stansted airport, northeast of London, after breaking through a fence and entering a private area before using the fire extinguishers filled with orange paint.

The protesters claimed Swift's jet had landed at Stansted "hours earlier", but local police said that her jet was not at the airport at the time.

Just Stop Oil is a climate group known for its public stunts to protest the use of planet-warming fossil fuels, often by spraying famous paintings, infrastructure or monuments with orange paint.

In March this year, the group announced it was ending high-profile climate protests, saying it had accomplished its initial aim of stopping new oil and gas projects in the UK.

Just Stop Oil statement

The trial "demonstrates, again, the establishment will protect the wealthy and privileged while punishing those seeking to protect us and defend our freedoms and natural justice," Just Stop Oil said in a statement.

Swift has been condemned by environmentalists for her prolific private jet travel. In 2022, she headlined a list published by British sustainability marketing firm Yard of the "worst private jet CO2 emission offenders" among celebrities.