Activist hoped Taylor Swift would see Stansted paint protest

A Just Stop Oil activist who sprayed aircraft with orange paint said she hoped the protest would prompt Taylor Swift to speak out about climate change, a court heard.

Jennifer Kowalski, 29, of Dumbarton, and Cole Macdonald, 23, of Brighton, are accused of using fire extinguishers to spray two aircraft at Stansted Airport, Essex, in the early hours of 20 June last year.

The pair do not deny being involved, but said they did not intend to cause damage or believed their actions would affect the planes’ value or use.

At Chelmsford Crown Court, Ms Kowalski said she wanted to spray paint Swift’s plane to “shake her from a place of apathy” over the environment.

However, the planes that were vandalised belonged to an insurance company and an investment group.

Ms Kowalski said she was autistic and that when she was younger she would have “special interests”, including Swift.

However, she said, “as time went on I saw her doing more problematic things”.

She said: “More recently with her private jet usage and her place in the world in terms of climate change.

“It’s something where I questioned my love for her.

“I hoped she might see it and it might encourage her to speak out about climate change.

“I did think it was unrealistic, but it was a hope I had.”

Ms Kowalski said she wanted to go to Swift’s jet, but Ms Macdonald was concerned the pair would get stopped by security.

Ms Kowalski said Ms Macdonald wanted to “make sure we got the action done”.

She added she thought the paint would “just wash off” with water and the pair hoped to be at the airport before it opened and without causing any disruption.

Prosecutor David Barr said a hole was cut in the perimeter fence with a circular saw at 05:02 BST and the pair made their way towards two private aircraft, sprayed them with orange paint and filmed it before sitting holding hands until the police arrived.

He said police were called at 05:09 and arrived at 05:18 before the first scheduled flight from the airport was due to leave at 05:45.

Ms Macdonald said: “The idea behind doing it round Taylor Swift was she’s very famous and her public jet usage has been very publicly criticised.”

However, when she spotted Swift’s plane she said it was “too close” to the runway.

She said: “It was too close to public planes and I didn’t want there to be any potential disruption against regular people going on holiday, travelling for work or anything like that.”

Zoe Varzi, a company director at a firm that professionally cleans aircraft, said the substance could have affected air movements and took 45 hours to remove.

The trial continues.