Iconic Stonehenge monument orange spray-painted by climate protestors

The United Kingdom police arrested two climate activists from the group "Just Stop Oil" on Wednesday after they spray-painted a pre-historic megalithic monument.

The two activists identified as University of Oxford student Niamh Lynch, 21, and Birmingham resident Rajan Naidu, 73, have claimed that the orange cornflour used to paint the Stonehedge will be washed away by rain, Al Jazeera reported.

Just Stop Oil defended their action, saying that the act is a call to Britain's next government to stop the use of fossil fuels by 2030.

In a press release they said: "Continuing to burn coal, oil and gas will result in the death of millions. We have to come together to defend humanity, or we risk everything."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak slammed the activists and the organization, calling it a "disgraceful act of vandalism".

Similarly, Labour leader and Sunak's main opponent in the upcoming election, Keir Starmer, called the group "pathetic" and said the damage was "outrageous".

The incident occurred a day before the summer solstice, in which thousands are expected to gather at the 4,500-year-old stone circle to celebrate the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

English Heritage, the public body which manages the site, said its experts were probing "the extent of the damage."