A Just Stop Oil supporter was given a community order today after being found guilty of spraying a university building to demand an end to new oil and gas licences.
Arthur Clifton, 23, was found guilty of causing criminal damage over £5,000 at Southwark Crown Court in April, following a 4 day jury trial presided over by Judge Hales. He was sentenced today to a 12-month community order, including 120 hours of unpaid work.
In October 2023, he sprayed orange paint across the portico of University College London’s Wilkins Building, demanding that the UK Government immediately abandon plans for new oil and gas projects.
The Crown had alleged that the action caused £21,000 worth of damage.
Speaking prior to his action in October 2023, Clifton said:
“I cannot stand by in terror and do nothing as my entire generation is sold out for short-term profit. I wonder how long it is before my 10-year-old sister has to face the food shortages and violence that so many across the globe are already facing in the wake of social breakdown brought on through climate collapse?
“Universities are supposed to develop and protect their students and young people, but instead they are sending us into the furnace. The academic research has been done, and it could not be clearer. If these institutions listened to their own staff, they would know how crucial it is that we immediately halt all new oil and gas licences. Instead, they accept millions in funding from oil and gas corporations.”
