Just Stop Oil supporter sprays University of Leeds building with orange paint before being arrested by police

At around midday on Thursday October 12, Sam Holland, a former University of Leeds student who studied human geography, sprayed orange paint on the exterior of the university's Great Hall using a fire extinguisher.

He was subsequently arrested by police and escorted off campus through a large number of cheering students.

Speaking before taking action, Sam Holland said: “I’m taking action today because universities are lying to us. I studied Human Geography & Economics and was not told that hundreds of millions will be killed over the coming decades from famine, fire and war over resources because of the climate crisis. We have been betrayed by academics and university executives that are too cowardly to tell the truth, let alone take action to stop it.

“The government licences genocidal new oil and gas drilling with no resistance from universities who research the starvation, social collapse and murder that it will result in. They have left it up to students to put their freedom on the line to fix the shit-show that they have created.

“Young people are done waiting for someone to change the situation for us. You have no idea what’s coming when the rest of my generation wakes up to the murderous betrayal by the ‘adults in the room’.”

In a press release, Just Stop Oil said the action was part of a series of actions carried out by students this week targeting universities across the UK “for their complicity in fuelling the climate crisis.

A spokesperson from Just Stop Oil said: “Just Stop Oil supporters are not prepared to stand by and watch while the government plans for millions to die and destroys everything we care about. It’s up to all of us now to come together and resist. 

“We cannot let them divide us. Together we can be the real opposition this country needs and we will win. We will stop new oil and gas. People are coming together from all over the UK to march day after day in London from 29th October. It’s People vs Oil!”

A University of Leeds spokesperson told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “While we support the right to legal protest, we are hugely disappointed that today's demonstration led to the vandalism of a University building. We are taking a robust approach to tackling the existential challenge of climate change, with a £174 million Climate Plan which includes our target of delivering net zero emissions by 2030.

“Our policy on responsible investment is to invest in companies that are sustainable and that purposefully set out to solve the problems of people and the planet profitably, without benefiting from causing harm to the world. 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.

“Working collaboratively with our staff and students we will continue to gear our curriculum, research and campus activity to lead climate action locally, nationally and globally.”

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson told YEP: "At about 12.40pm police attended the University of Leeds following a report of a protest by Just Stop Oil. A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. 

"Enquiries are continuing."