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Just Stop Oil spray-paint English universities orange

Michael Hennessey Kings College CambridgeMichael Hennessey
A protester at King's College Cambridge sprayed paint on a building using a fire extinguisher.

Climate campaigners Just Stop Oil have sprayed universities across England with orange paint.

Protests were reported on Thursday at the universities of Leeds, Manchester and Cambridge.

Just Stop Oil say the protests are "against the UK Government's plans to license new oil and gas projects".

It follows protests at Bristol on Monday, Exeter and Oxford on Tuesday and Falmouth, Sussex, Birmingham and UCL on Wednesday.

Last month the Rosebank oil field, the UK's largest untapped oil field estimated to contain up to 300 million barrels of oil, was given the go-ahead by regulators.

The activist group posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, of the University of Leeds' Great Hall being "redecorated orange", saying the person featured in the clip was recent Leeds graduate Sam Holland.

In the video, Mr Holland appears to be spraying orange paint on the building and shouting the university is "complicit in genocide" through its graduate schemes. He is then dragged away by police.

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Police said they attended the campus at about 12:40 BST and a 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.

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.

"We are taking a robust approach to tackling the existential challenge of climate change, with a £174m Climate Plan which includes our target of delivering net zero emissions by 2030," they said.

"We avoid companies that are materially engaged in certain sectors, including thermal coal, the extraction of fossil fuel from tar sands, oil and gas extraction, production and refining."

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".

Members of the public confronted the activist in front of the college, which was founded by King Henry VI in 1441.

'Draws the line'

Cambridgeshire Constabulary said officers were called at about 12:15 BST on 12 October with reports of criminal damage in King's Parade and a 24-year-old was arrested.

A spokesperson for King's College said: "The college is concerned about climate change and respects the right to freedom of speech and non-violent protest, but draws the line at criminal damage."

On Thursday morning, the Allen Gilbert Building at University of Manchester was also targeted.

The university said campus security and police attended and cleaning staff had since removed the paint.

"While we respect the right to peaceful protest, within the law, we cannot tolerate vandalism and disruption affecting staff, students and visitors," they said.

Contributed Just Stop Oil protest at Exeter UniversityContributed
Just Stop Oil said protests like the one at Exeter University were against government plans for new oil and gas projects

In Exeter, a man was arrested on Wednesday after buckets of paint and spray cans were used to paint the glass facade of The Forum on the university's campus.

The university said it respected "the right to protest, providing it is carried out safely, respectfully and within the law".

Devon and Cornwall Police said a man had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and was in police custody.

On Wednesday, Just Stop Oil said philosophy student Harrison threw paint over a University of Birmingham library building while calling on the university's leadership to "join students in civil resistance".

West Midlands Police said a 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

Ben Webb Paint on the front of the buildingBen Webb
Falmouth University's building was covered in orange paint on Wednesday

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".

Police were called at noon on Wednesday to the Penryn campus following reports of a Just Stop Oil protest.

Just Stop Oil said its Falmouth protest was its third day of "student resistance". A university spokesperson said the matter would be investigated by police.

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Also on Wednesday, a Sussex University library was "doused in paint" by a 20-year-old called Oscar, according to the group.

In a post on X, Just Stop Oil said Oscar "originally wanted to be a teacher but says 'the government's disregard for young people has taken that dream away from me'."

In a video posted to the platform, he says he did not go to university because he "couldn't see the point in it when I knew how bad things were".