The World - News from March 3, 1989

Sun worshipers and hippies who converge on the grounds of Stonehenge each year for the summer solstice will not be allowed near the circle of ancient stones this year, British authorities said. The closure is expected to last 24 hours. Last June 21, thousands of hippies throwing rocks, iron bars and bottles clashed with police at Stonehenge, turning a mystical dawn rite into a bloody riot that ended with 115 arrests. No ceremonies will take place this year, authorities said. “It is like closing Westminster Abbey at Christmas,” complained Rollo Maughfling, a druid of the Glastonbury Order. In the past, druids dressed in white robes conducted ancient rituals at Stonehenge during the solstice.