Just days before thousands of students are due to cross the stage, Glasgow University’s iconic Gilbert Scott building has been defaced with red paint and pro-Palestinian graffiti.
Staff arrived on campus on Tuesday morning to find slogans like “Divest Now” and “Free Palestine”spray-painted across the entrance of the university’s main building. A red upside-down triangle, a symbol widely used in pro-Palestinian activism, was also marked on the sandstone exterior.
Cleaning crews moved in early to remove the graffiti, while a security guard stood at the entrance and police were seen surveying the damage. The vandalism comes during a week of heightened campus visibility, as students in gowns and graduation robes gather to celebrate across the university.
No individual or group has yet claimed responsibility, but the messaging echoes long-standing calls from students and staff for the university to sever financial links with arms manufacturers. In recent months, these demands have intensified amid the war in Gaza and renewed focus on university investments. Some of the other attempts at protest have been similar graffiti at the University’s James McCune Smith Learning Hub, and sit-ins at the same building and at the Charles Wilson lecture theatre.
A spokesperson for the university said: “The University of Glasgow upholds the right to freedom of expression, including the right of staff and students to engage in peaceful demonstrations. However, we do not tolerate criminal activities or those which interfere with the rights of others to go about their business in peace.”
They added: “We stand against hate or harassment of any kind, and continue to urge all members of our community to treat one another with respect.”
Graduation ceremonies are expected to go ahead as planned this week—but there’s no doubt the conversation around divestment will continue long after the paint has been washed away.
Featured image via Instagram
