University Of Manchester spent over £1,400 cleaning up Just Stop Oil graffiti

The cleaning took place after the Just Stop Oil protest at the Ali G on October 12

12 months ago

A freedom of information request has revealed that the University of Manchester spent £1,436 cleaning up the graffiti left on the Ali G building after a Just Stop Oil protest on October 12th.

The graffiti was part of a series of protests targeting universities in October and November.

The Building was cleaned within an hour of the protest by a private company A&A Drain services, The Mancunian reports.

Manchester protester, Ruby Hamill, was arrested soon after the incident in October by Greater Manchester Police. This was part of a wider action which saw action across the country; Leeds, Exeter and UCL were among the universities targeted.

The Freedom Of Information request, submitted by The Mancunion on 13th October revealed the universities expenditure.

🚨 BREAKING: Manchester Uni Painted Orange.

🦺 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 at https://t.co/HZreCDMJ5O pic.twitter.com/dU13uf2NkJ

— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) October 12, 2023

Speaking ahead of the action, 19-year-old Ruby explained her motivations: “I am taking action with Just Stop Oil to call out the hypocrisy of Manchester Uni, an academic institution which is fundamentally failing its students. Since 2022, it has taken £3,077,268 in funding from big oil and gas firms, which has been complicit in their greenwashing and perpetuating the disconnect to the fact we are around the corner from societal collapse.”

She continued by saying that “civil resistance is the only option for anyone who wants to come into any hope of averting mass extinction and complete collapse.”

The UK-wide protests came amid news in October that UK universities accepted almost £41m from fossil fuel companies since 2022, despite widespread pledges to divest from these industries.

Members of Just Stop Oil had previously been seen handing out fliers, as well as hanging up posters around campus.