Protests were reported at the universities of Leeds, Manchester and Cambridge as the protestors from "Just Stop Oil" painted the buildings with Orange colour from graffiti on October 12. In response Police had to made arrests for painting University buildings at Oxford, Birmingham, Falmouth, Bristol and London.
As per the reports, Universities across the UK have been targeted by Just Stop Oil as part of an ongoing series of what it calls "student resistance."
Footage posted on the group’s social media page shows activists throwing orange paint over various university buildings, including the University of Oxford’s Radcliffe Library.
Protest against government to end new oil and gas projects
A statement from Just Stop Oil reads, "Students are demanding that university leaders make a public statement calling on the government to end new oil and gas projects, and make a commitment to join their students in marching on the streets of London, if the government fails to respond."
University of Leeds
As reported by the BBC, a University of Leeds spokesperson said while they "support the right to legal protest", they were "hugely disappointed" the demonstration had led to the vandalism.
Just Stop Oil in a post on X, "Leeds Uni's Great Hall Redecorated Orange. Sam Holland, a recent Leeds graduate, took action, calling out the university's grad schemes with super-polluters like Equinor before being dragged away by police."
University of Manchester
The protestor, Ruby Hamill, was arrested soon after spraying the building at the University of Manchester, reports Mancunion.
She was then carried by several police into a police car before being transferred into a police van. Several police attended the scene, two of whom had guns.
The organization posted a video while painting University of Manchester too.
It says, "Ruby just sprayed paint over the Allen Gilbert building, the ninth action taken by students this week. The climate crisis is not going away. The students are not going away. Join the campaign."
Falmouth University
Falmouth University said a building was covered in orange paint after a peaceful protest was "escalated by a small number of individuals who caused criminal damage".
Cambridge University
Just Stop Oil said on X that at the University of Cambridge, protester Chiara Sarti used a fire extinguisher to "paint the neo-Gothic King's College orange".
