Red paint thrown over Newcastle University steps after pro-Palestine protest on campus

The steps outside of Newcastle University’s King’s Gate have been covered with blood red paint.

Students currently occupying the green opposite the Students’ Union have been protesting in support of Palestine in an encampment since May 1st.

The vandalism comes after a rally on Saturday which saw hundreds of protestors march through the city before gathering outside the encampment.

Bright red in appearance, the paint appears to have been poured from the top and middle of the stairs, where it has run down to the walkway and is visible from Barras Bridge Road.

Saturday’s rally saw Northumbria Police make three arrests on Wednesday after protesters refused to comply with its instructions and caused “considerable disruption” in the city centre later that night. Two men in their 20s were arrested, along with a man in his 60s.

This comes after a group of students barricaded themselves inside a Newcastle University building last week on Wednesday.

Students within the encampment on Newcastle University campus are calling for the university to divest from arms companies and have remained occupying the green for over a month.

A similar event occurred at the University of Manchester three weeks ago, where red paint was thrown over Manchester Museum and Queens Arch in an act of vandalism.