Just Stop Oil snooker protest: Man charged with throwing orange powder over table at world championship
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A student and an ex-museum worker have appeared in court after the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield was disrupted by a Just Stop Oil protest.
University student Edred Ilmari Heath 'Eddie' Whittingham appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (January 16, 2024) charged with criminal damage while Margaret Reid, a former museum professional, appeared at the same court charged with attempting to cause criminal damage. They both pleaded not guilty.
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Hide AdThe match between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry was interrupted by a man wearing a Just Stop Oil T-shirt invading the Crucible arena in Sheffield and tipping orange paint powder onto one of the tables on April 17, 2023.
A woman was prevented from executing a similar stunt on the other table after being tackled by referee Olivier Marteel.
Whittingham, 26, of May Street, Exeter, and Reid, 53, of Low Fellside, Kendal, Cumbria, were both given unconditional bail by District Judge Daniel Curtis until their trial on May 10 at the same court.
Speaking in April 2023, an audience member that night, Mark Watterson, told The Star how the incident was the "talk of the evening".
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Hide Ad"It was crazy,” said Mark. “You think you’ve seen everything. I’ve seen play disrupted by a streaker and one time a bird but I never thought I’d see a police officer standing in the arena and watching Rob Walker [master of ceremonies] cleaning up a mess.
“It was the talk of the evening of course. People were in total shock, like in total silence. We were trying to take in the snooker and then the mood totally changes.”
Officials attempted to hoover the fabric before it was decided it was beyond repair and needed to be replaced overnight, leading to the match being postponed until the next day.