Just Stop Oil activists deny criminal damage after orange paint on Tesla robot at Westfield showroom

Two Just Stop Oil activists denied criminal damage in a Westminster Magistrates Court appearance on Wednesday after they poured orange liquid onto Elon Musk's Optimus robot at Westfield's Tesla showroom in Shepherd's Bush.

Catherine Nash, 74, and Nigel Fleming, 63, climbed onto the podium display at the Westfield shopping centre and unfurled a banner as they were confronted by security and bystanders. Prosecutors said they produced a container of thick, opaque orange liquid and tipped it over the display robot. Nash and Fleming, who are both associated with Just Stop Oil, later removed their jackets to reveal branded JSO T-shirts before leaving the venue. The pair denied the criminal damage charge during the brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court, where they were granted bail ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing scheduled for October 22 at Southwark Crown Court. Magistrate Jessica Marshall ordered the pair to return for the next stage of proceedings.

Nash, of Castle Green Close, Westmorland and Furness, and Fleming, of Barnet, did not enter a plea on Wednesday and their lawyer asked for additional time to prepare. Jonathan Bryan, the prosecutor, described the incident to the court: a container of orange liquid was poured over the futuristic robot that is designed to assist with household chores and has been described by some commentators as dystopian. The case is one of several recent actions by the group, which has repeatedly disrupted events tied to fossil fuels and high-profile public figures.

The incident at Westfield adds to a slate of protest actions by Just Stop Oil this year as climate activists seek to pressure upon authorities and the public the urgency of reducing carbon emissions. Nash and Fleming were bailed with conditions, and a plea and trial preparation hearing was set for October 22 at Southwark Crown Court.

Optimus robots are designed to help people with household tasks and have drawn both interest for their potential utility and criticism as symbols of automation and surveillance in a broader debate about technology and social change. In the wake of the Westfield incident, legal observers and climate campaigners alike stressed the need for lawful avenues to express dissent while avoiding actions that could undermine public safety or other services. The court case comes amid a broader legal landscape in which similar protests have led to criminal damage convictions in other high-profile cases involving environmental activism.

Last week, two other Just Stop Oil activists were found guilty of criminal damage in relation to an attack involving the spray painting of two planes linked to Taylor Swift’s private jet. Jennifer Kowalski, 29, and Cole Macdonald, 23, breached the perimeter of Stansted Airport in Essex with an angle grinder and targeted aircraft before spraying orange paint on the planes. They argued they did not intend to damage the aircraft, but a Chelmsford Crown Court jury convicted them after less than two hours of deliberation. The verdict underscores the legal risks associated with protest actions that involve property damage, even when the participants claim their aim is to draw attention to climate change and fossil fuels.