Climate campaigners Just Stop Oil have sprayed universities across England with orange paint in protests against the UK Government's plans to license new oil and gas projects.
Protests were reported on Thursday at the universities of Leeds, Manchester and Cambridge, following demonstrations at Bristol on Monday, Exeter and Oxford on Tuesday, and Falmouth, Sussex, Birmingham and UCL on Wednesday.
The protests follow last month's approval of the Rosebank oil field, the UK's largest untapped oil field estimated to contain up to 300 million barrels of oil.
At the University of Leeds, recent graduate Sam Holland was filmed "redecorating orange" the Great Hall, spraying orange paint on the building and shouting the university is "complicit in genocide" through its graduate schemes. He was dragged away by police 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 vandalism. The university said it was "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" and avoids companies "materially engaged in certain sectors, including thermal coal, the extraction of fossil fuel from tar sands, oil and gas extraction, production and refining."
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. A 24-year-old was arrested for criminal damage.
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."
