A group of English climate change activists tore up the lawn of a major university as part of a weekslong demonstration that aims to spur climate change legislation in the United Kingdom.
Videos shared to social media on Sunday show the group chanting “digging for oil” as they used pitchforks and shovels to destroy the lawn of Cambridge University’s Trinity College. The activists, members of Extinction Rebellion, then moved the dug-up soil in wheelbarrows to a local Barclays branch before tweeting that Trinity was “complicit in the climate & ecological crisis” because of investments it has made in oil and gas companies.
“Trinity College has invested £9.1m in oil & gas companies, the most of any of the 45 Oxbridge colleges,” Extinction Rebellion posted to Twitter.
Only fellows allowed on the grass!’ @xr_cambridge pic.twitter.com/wBjAH8nJ93
— Cambridge Food Tour (@cambfoodtour) February 17, 2020
Extinction Rebellion claims to be a global, pro-environment nonprofit organization that uses nonviolent means to accelerate the implementation of climate legislation across the world. The group has been criticized for its demonstrations, including one high-profile incident in October when Extinction Rebellion activists climbed atop London trains before being dragged down by angry commuters.
St. Catherine University, a neighbor to Trinity located within the Cambridge University collective, closed the gates to its 17th-century court over fears that the group would attempt to damage the grounds. A spokeswoman for Trinity College told the Guardian that the college respects the right to freedom of speech and non-violent protests but “draws the line at criminal damage and asked the protesters to leave.”
In November, Extinction Rebellion founder Roger Hallam defended his suggestion that the Holocaust was “almost a normal event” when viewed against atrocities perpetrated by colonizers in the Belgian Congo.
