Protestors appeared to throw orange powder on the snooker table.
Just Stop Oil protestors forced a match at the World Snooker Championship to be abandoned after an individual threw orange paint onto the table. The first-round match-up between Joe Perry and Rob Milkins had to be rescheduled after ‘scary’ scenes in which a man made his way onto the table and covered the surface with dried orange powder.
One protestor appeared from out of shot on the BBC’s live coverage and climbed onto the table. The individual was carrying a small pouch and wore a t-shirt emblazoned with the name of the anti-fossil fuel activist group Just Stop Oil.
They reached into the pouch and threw what seemed to be orange powder that they then covered the table with. It was later suggested that the substance was instead dried orange paint.
Members of the audience could be shouting “Shame!” while others were heard demanding stewards to: “Get them off!”
Other fans could be heard swearing and hurling insults at the man. As the BBC cut to a wide shot of the dramatic scenes, it became clear that a second protestor had attempted to jump on the table on the other side of the Crucible.
The man identified himself on Just Stop Oil’s official website as Eddie Whittingham, a 25-year-old student from Exeter University. The second protestor revealed themselves to be Margaret Reid, a 52-year-old woman from Kendal.
Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry said on commentary: “It’s scary actually. Wow. I just hope the cloth can be recovered from that. Do you get the hoover out? I don’t know. It caught us by surprise. We’re both watching it and all of a sudden this happens.
“For me, straight away, as a snooker player – is the table recoverable? That’s the first thing I think of. We don’t know what that is on the table, whether it can be brushed off or not. If it can’t, that match is not getting played tonight on that table. The whole table needs a recovery and that takes a long time.”
Source : https://www.express.co.uk/sport/othersport/1759309/Protestors-World-Snooker-Championship