Oil Protesters' Attempt to Disrupt British Open Thwarted by American Player and Gas-Powered Devices
Irony, thy name is… a gas-powered leaf blower.
Environmental activists from the group Just Stop Oil once again tried to hijack a marquee event and make it about themselves and, as is often the case, it backfired.
Or, more accurately, it was blown away, leaving nary a trace that the activists had ever stepped foot on the Royal Liverpool golf course, where the British Open is currently underway.
This inane incident occurred on Friday when anti-oil protesters lit an orange flare near the 17th hole of the prestigious course, according to Reuters.
R&A, the organizer of the tournament, said in a statement that four individuals were arrested.
The statement added, “Play was not disrupted and we would like to thank marshals, players and other spectators for their vigilance and understanding as the protesters were removed.”
One of those players, American Billy Horschel, grabbed a protester and led her toward police to cheers from the crowd, Reuters reported.
Just Stop Oil, which clearly believes that any publicity is good publicity, tweeted about the events, offering the ham-fisted analogy that “there will be no more holes in one when our society collapses.”
“We must stop our government’s 100 new oil and gas licenses before they go on to cause more harm,” the group said.
Accompanying the tweet was a short video that showed the impact of this particular protest — a small splotch of orange on the ground.
There will be no more holes in one when our society collapses. We must stop our government’s 100 new oil and gas licenses before they go on to cause more harm. https://t.co/HaNZKBsfLF pic.twitter.com/ZLDAgOqj5X
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) July 21, 2023
It didn’t take much — save for a little gas and a leaf blower — to clean up the powdery residue left behind by the climate activists’ flare.
Daily Mail correspondent Dominic King tweeted a video showing the distinct lack of back-breaking effort involved in getting rid of the mess:
After effects of Just Stop Oil protest on 17th green at Royal Liverpool. 3 people (one male, 2 female) apprehended by security and police. pic.twitter.com/naJIF6KLJr
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) July 21, 2023
These protesters should consider themselves lucky. Things could have gone decidedly less peacefully had they crossed paths with reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm.
“I do have a reputation [for having a temper], so I hope they don’t catch me on a bad hole,” Rahm warned climate activists leading up to the Open Championships.
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