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Edinburgh Castle was placed on ‘lockdown’ today after a group of eco clowns smashed through the glass containing the Stone of Destiny.
Protesters from the campaign group This Is Rigged tried to smash through the glass box protecting the legendary stone causing the Scottish landmark to close for a brief period.
The relic, which weighs nearly 20 stone, played a key role in the King’s Coronation, seeing a team of six transporting in and out of the Great Hall in Westminster.
Officers said two women, aged 20 and 24, and one 20-year-old man, were arrested in connection with the damage caused to the glass pane but did not affect the Honours itself.
The group, which is calling for no new oil and gas deals, said it carried out the vandalism to call on supermarkets to reduce the prices of baby products and call on the Scottish Government to fund a community food hub for 500 people.
Protesters from the campaign group This Is Rigged tried to break into the glass container holding the Stone of Destiny
The Stone of Destiny is returned England for the first time in more than a quarter of a century, during the King’s coronation in May
Edinburgh Castle was placed on ‘lockdown’ today after a group of eco clowns smashed through the glass containing the Stone of Destiny
The demonstration took place just after 11am today with the group claiming to have used pink hammers to try and break down the structure, before spray painting the groups logo onto the artifact’s container.
The Crown Room and Royal Apartments at the castle were closed following the incident, which happened shortly before 11am on Wednesday in the Crown Room.
The activists claimed to have spray-painted the words ‘Is Treasa Tuath Na Tighearna’ – Gaelic for ‘The People Are Mightier Than A Lord’ – on to the glass, alongside the logo of protest group This is Rigged.
Glasgow students Joe Madden and Catriona Roberts said they smashed into the case to demand immediate action.
A Police Scotland spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Around 10.45am on Wednesday, 15 November, we were called to a report of a small protest within Edinburgh Castle.
‘Officers attended and two women aged 20 and 24 years, and a 20-year-old man were arrested in connection with damage caused. Enquiries are ongoing.’
A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said: ‘We can confirm that there was a small disturbance in the Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle earlier today and Police were called to the scene.
‘There has been some damage to the protective glass housing the Honours, however the casing was not breached and the Honours themselves were not damaged.
‘The Castle remains open, however we have temporarily closed the Crown Room and Royal Apartments.’
Earlier this year protesters from the group disrupted the men’s Elite Race at the Cycling World Championships by gluing themselves to the road. The action disrupted the race for 50 minutes and left cyclists unable to carry on.
