ACTIVISTS from Just Stop Oil gatecrashed a West End performance of Shakespeare’s classic The Tempest on Monday evening to demand that the government cut ties with fossil fuels.

Two activists climbed onto the stage at the Theatre Royal holding a sign reading “Over 1.5 Degrees is a Global Shipwreck.”

Sigourney Weaver, who starred as Prospero, was escorted off the stage while the protesters faced a mix of boos and cheers. 

Earlier this month, it was announced that 2024 marked the first time on record that temperatures exceeded the safe limit for global warming.

A study published in the Science journal warned that surpassing 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels would trigger catastrophic feedback loops threatening the stability of all life on Earth. 

Hayley Walsh, a 42-year-old lecturer and mum of three who took part in the action, said: “I am scared for my children, I can’t sleepwalk them into a future of food shortages, life-threatening storms and wars for resources. 

“Years of writing to MPs, going on marches and teaching my students to be more sustainable, hasn’t seen the urgent change needed.

“We need a global treaty to stop fossil fuel burning and a global emergency response.”

Richard Weir, 60, a mechanical engineer who also took part said: “I started my career in the shipyards of Tyneside and I watched management inaction lead to the collapse of British manufacturing. 

“Now I see similar failures of leadership as politicians refuse to take action to protect us and our loved ones.

“Unless we come together and demand a move away from fossil fuels by 2030, we will go the same way as manufacturing in Britain.”