Eco-yobs invade Wimbledon’s Court 18 for SECOND time in 3hrs & stop Katie Boulter’s match before Brit clears up mess
ECO-yobs have caused chaos at Wimbledon for a SECOND time today – invading two matches in less than three hours.
The protestors first stormed Court 18 in the middle of play around 2pm, hurling orange confetti and puzzle pieces onto the turf.
Then, at about 4.30pm, a Just Stop Oil protestor rushed onto the SAME court – while Katie Boulter and Daria Saville were going head to head.
William John Ward, 66, was seen running onto the turf with orange confetti, before unveiling his Just Stop Oil t-shirt.
He was then dragged off by security.
Both Boulter and her opponent helped the ball boys and girls clean up the debris before a leaf blower was called into action.
Despite the disruption, Boulter went on to win her match 7-6, 6-2.
Responding to the chaos, Home Secretary Suella Braverman tweeted: “These unacceptable protests at Wimbledon were intended to ruin the day for the paying public.
“Today I chaired talks @10DowningStreet with sporting, police & government teams to help tackle serious disruption of this kind.”
It comes just days after England cricket star Jonny Bairstow carried an eco-yob off the pitch at Lord’s.
Earlier today tennis fans cheered as two other protesters were yanked off the court after their idiotic display and arrested.
Deborah Wilde, 68, and Simon Milner-Edwards, 66, raced onto Court 18 from the stands this afternoon, halting the match.
Police then rushed onto the court and the eco-idiots were dragged from the turf.
Their idiocy comes just a day after Princess Kate attended the tournament – and was spotted sharing a joke with tennis legend Roger Federer near the same court.
Sho Shimabukuro and Grigor Dimitrov were today locked in a tense battle when the idiots disrupted it.
The protesting pair poured the mess on the court before the man sat cross-legged in front of the net, and the woman continued walking aimlessly around the court.
Their idiocy saw play quickly suspended, with the men’s singles match called off not long after 2pm.
Cops were seen racing onto the turf and the protesters were quickly dragged off, with crowds heard loudly booing them.
One spectator on the Hill at SW19 said: “What have you got to say for yourself? Do you feel good about yourself?”
Another yelled “waster” as the pair were frogmarched out of Wimbledon and into the back of a police van.
Staff then quickly arrived with leaf blowers and wireless vacuums to clean up the mess.
The tournament confirmed two people had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage.
Fan Callum Mackenzie, 28, said: “I saw this woman run on and she got stopped before she could do anything. Then the bloke came and threw some tinsel around and sat down on the floor.
His pal Louis Harvey, 30, added: “I just saw the bloke throw some sprinkles and just sit on the floor in a yoga pose. It’s disgraceful. We’ve paid a lot of money to get in here. One the weather’s not great, and for them to play to stop because of that is just disruptive.
“It’s just the way they go about it. It makes the queues longer. I understand why they’re doing it but disruption like this is just outrageous.”
The eco-yobs were said to have queued from around 6am to get tickets.
They brought confetti and jigsaw pieces in their bags in a £22 Centre Court 1000-piece Jigsaw puzzle box.
Yesterday, the Princess of Wales looked chic in a green and white ensemble as she took to the stands.
It came just after she’d had to flee the rain when supporting young British star Katie Boulter on nearby Court 18.
She had made a rare royal appearance at one of the smaller courts for Boulter’s encounter – but headed to Centre Court for Murray’s match and a reunion with Federer.
Eco-protesters had threatened to disrupt matches after they ran onto the pitch at Lord’s cricket grounds last week.
Jonny Bairstow was hailed a hero by PM Rishi Sunak for carting an eco-activist off the Ashes pitch.
The wicketkeeper picked up yob Daniel Knorr, 21, at Lord’s and showed timid police exactly how they should be dealing with disruptive protesters.
Knorr and two others had been trying to hurl orange powder over the pitch but were stopped before they could trample on the wicket.
Today’s chaos comes after it was revealed police have been given new powers to intervene if eco-yobs attempt to disrupt Wimbledon.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said on Monday she “couldn’t guarantee” Just Stop Oil activists wouldn’t try and ruin the world-famous tennis tournament.
But she said new police powers will help detain eco-yobs causing havoc.
Wimbledon had already ramped up the number of police spotters in the crowds to pick out activists before they try to disrupt play.
An increased number of covert Behaviour Detection Officers (BDOs) from the Met have been stationed on Centre Court and around the complex to foil plans.
Every person entering the All England Club will have their bag fully searched with some selected for body searches led by intelligence from the Met.
Wimbledon 2023 LIVE: Point-by-point action, results and news from the All England Club
Wimbledon betting special: Tips, predictions and odds