Communist graffiti found scrawled onto Sussex campus sign

Communist images have been graffitied onto a Sussex University campus sign in the Lewes Court car park. The image contains two traditional communist symbols. The first is the crossed hammer and sickle, where the hammer represents working class industrial labourers and the sickle represents agricultural workers.

The second symbol is the red star, which represents communism and socialism. The star was the symbol of anti-fascist parties in World Word II, and used to represent the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army.

We are currently unable to ascertain the exact meaning of the words painted above the symbols. The first word appears to be ‘Red’ but the second is currently unclear. It could be an abbreviation for ‘Red Brighton’, or could be B + N — possibly the initials of the graffiti artists.

The graffiti follows a spate of politically-motivated defacing incidents at the University, including Nazi and anti-Nazi stickers being found across campus.

Last week, anti-semitic messages were left on the ‘Before I Die’ art piece in Library Square as someone wrote: “Jet fuel can’t melt jews, the holocaust was an inside job”. Vice-chancellor Adam Tickell condemned the offensive defacement as “intolerable”.

Politically-motivated graffiti has recently made appearances in other British universities. Last month, a Swastika was carved into the doors and anti-Semitic messages were scrawled in some some of Exeter University halls. This was the second anti-semitic act at the University this year after members of their snow sports society were pictured wearing T-shirts with slogans such as “the holocaust was a good time” handwritten on them.

The University of Sussex has been approached for comment.