The orange mist sprinkled on the stones did not damage the prehistoric site. The activist group Just Stop Oil took responsibility for the act.
The stones of Stonehenge, which have stood for thousands of years, emerged unscathed from the offensive by conservationists.
Environmental activists sprayed an orange substance on Stonehenge, the famous prehistoric UNESCO World Heritage site in southwest England.
The group wanted, through its action, to ask the next British government to legally commit to phasing out fossil fuels by 2030.
Workers cleaned the stones and the monument, around 4,500 years old, was visibly undamagedsaid Nick Merriman, chief executive of English Heritage.
The UNESCO World Heritage site reopened and was expected to welcome thousands to celebrate the summer solsticethe longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, early Friday.
Stonehenge was built in stages on a windswept plain in southern England 5,000 years ago. Its origin and purpose remain somewhat mysterious, although the stone circle aligns with the summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunsetattracting crowds of spiritualists, druids and followers of sun worship.
Activist group Just Stop Oil took responsibility for the act on Wednesday and released a video showing a man identified as Rajan Naidu spraying an orange mist using a fire extinguisher onto one of the vertical stones.
People gathered at the site shouted “stop” and one person intervened by running towards Naidu and grabbing his arm. As this person struggled to pull Naidu away from the monument, another man joined in the struggle and pulled the paint can free.
The second protester, Niamh Lynch, 21, managed to throw three stones before being arrested.
Just Stop Oil said the paint was made from corn starch and would dissolve in rain.
The Stonehenge protest was swiftly condemned by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who called it a “disgraceful act of vandalism”. His main opponent in next month’s election, Labor leader Keir Starmer, described the group as “pathetic” and said the damage was “outrageous”.
