This Monday, October 9th, 21-year-old filmmaking student, Ben Meehan, used a fire extinguisher to spray-paint the Queen’s Building at the University of Bristol. Meehan calls for academics to join Just Stop Oil as they march in protest in London, “I call on every academic to wake up to what their students will face and get out of their labs and lecture halls to join us on the streets this autumn, to call for an immediate end to all new oil and gas.” He shares the motivation behind this action, stating, “I’m taking action because I can’t stand by while universities continue to foster the very systems that are destroying us. Most people act like the world is just going to carry on, but it’s not and we haven’t got long. The very thing that gives us life is collapsing before our eyes. There is no bigger threat.” 

This action occurs after just last week, Extinction Rebellion had launched a campaign calling on the University of Bristol to end partnership with Barclays Bank. Spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, Neil Bee, states, “By ditching Barclays, the University of Bristol can send a clear message that continuing to support fossil fuel production is unacceptable.” This is due to the fact that the financial establishment is deemed seventh most in banks funding fossil fuels. This relationship is counterproductive to UWE Bristol’s efforts to reduce climate impact.

In light of this, a University of Bristol spokesperson has said, “We know how important this is, not just to our staff and students, but to the whole world, which is why sustainability remains one of the central strands shaping the University’s vision of the future. We were the first university in the UK to declare a climate emergency in 2019, reaffirming our strong and positive commitment to take action on climate change and, a year later, in 2020 we completely divested from all investments in fossil fuel companies. All our partnerships undergo stringent due diligence checks and ethical review first, ensuring the University is using its expertise to influence positive change.  We continue to actively engage with our major suppliers, including banks, to see where positive improvements and changes can be made. We respect our staff and students’ right to raise concerns about issues they feel strongly about in a lawful way, and we will continue to listen to and engage with their views, however we ask that these are discussed with us directly and through appropriate channels.”

Midday, on Monday, staff and police arrived shortly after Meehan’s action, arresting him. 

Join the Summer of Heat in NYC

The clock is ticking. That’s why The Summer of Heat, is taking joyful, relentless nonviolent direct action to end fossil fuel financing. Wall Street is bankrolling the coal, oil and gas companies that are polluting our communities and killing our planet. The Summer of Heat is set on stopping them. The Summer of Heat is going hard all summer long. Week after week. Month after month. The Summer of Heat is taking the party to the streets and won't stop.

Join the March on the DNC in Chicago

We are a coalition of organizations bringing our demands to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 2024!

• 12PM Monday August 19 - Union Park 1501 W. Randolph St
• 5PM Thursday August 22 - Union Park 1501 W. Randolph St