Just Stop Oil 'using old people for Wimbledon protests because they are less noticeable'
eco fanatics may be using older protesters to target Wimbledon because they look like middle-class tennis fans and are less likely to be identified by guards, a security expert told MailOnline today. Four activists in their 60s invaded courts at The Championships on Wednesday in the latest salvo of disruptive protests against some of Britain's most iconic summer sporting events, including the , and the Ashes. They included Simon Milner-Edwards, 66, a retired musician from Manchester; William Ward, a 66-year-old climate hunger striker from Epsom; and Deborah Wilde, a 68-year-old retired teacher from North . Simon Morgan, a former Met royal protection, public order and firearms officer, said Just Stop Oil may be using older protesters to sneak into Wimbledon because they are less noticeable. He said: 'When you're talking about a sporting event like Wimbledon people are likely to be older, in their late 30s and above, because many young people can't afford tickets. That means you've got a lot of people who seem the same. 'Security will be profiling a certain demographic. If that demographic changes by age then those people may slip through the net.' Mr Morgan, who now works for Trojan Consultancy, said Just Stop Oil protesters risked diverting resources away from tackling terrorists. He continued: 'This is drawing police and security away from the people who want to do us harm. You are looking at a constantly changing situation where people are having to balance different threats.' Older people have regularly appeared in previous JSO protests, with 73-year-old Ari Fox, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, in June. Pensioners have also often been spotted at disruptive demos organised by fellow militant group Extinction Rebellion. Tom Burke, a co-founder of independent climate think-tank E3G and former executive director of Friends of the Earth, said it was a case of 'boomers rebelling against being blamed for the climate crisis by forging an alliance with youngsters'. He told MailOnline: 'Older people have more of a grasp about what a mess we are in. 'Their experience has brought them to understand what the consequences are for their children and grandchildren and they want to give voice to that concern. 'They know what's at stake when they do these kinds of disruptive protests but they have less of a future to worry about when it comes to having a criminal record. 'They're freer than younger people to take those risks.' Mr Burke said it would be 'lazy' to assume it was only young people who were organising the protests and deliberately recruiting older activists. He continued: 'You're talking about 60s kids. They could have been involved in other movements against things like Vietnam and now they're protesting against climate change. 'There's an idea around that this is just a bunch of young hooligans, but that's not true. 'These older people see that governments are failing to fulfil their promises on climate change and feel compelled to do something. 'It's a signal politicians should pay attention to.' Mr Milner-Edwards and Ms Wilde were met with groans from the crowd when they leapt on to Court 18 and littered it with orange confetti and a jigsaw puzzle at around 2pm on Wednesday. The stunt disrupted a game between Grigor Dimitrov and Sho Shimabukuro. Around two hours later, Mr Ward invaded a game between The Met Police confirmed three people were arrested for aggravated trespass and criminal damage. Mr Milner-Edwards, a seasoned demonstrator who was previously jailed for his part in a protest outside Kingsbury Oil Depot, said: 'I'm here for my grandchildren and everybody else's. 'I'm not prepared to let our politicians wreck everything and leave the next generation to pick up the pieces.' British star Ms Boulter Older people were regularly involved in protests organised by Extinction Rebellion, which announced earlier this year that it was moving away from disruptive tactics. Giving his age as 69, he told last year: 'Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing working so hard when I'm retired. But I wouldn't be able to look my grandchildren in the eye if I did nothing.'