Extinction Rebellion: Student activists lock themselves to gates of Glasgow University

Four activists from the group Extinction Rebellion Glasgow University have locked themselves to the Memorial Gate at the University of Glasgow to demand that the University implements a “Green New Deal.”

The activists, all students at the UofG, are calling on Vice Chancellor Anton Muscatelli to commit the university to the climate strategy proposed by staff and students in 2020.

They believe with the COP26 climate summit due to start in Glasgow this week, now is the right time to put pressure on their university.

No official commitments have been made despite talks on Thursday between the UofG Green New Deal Coalition, Mr Muscatelli, the Chief Operating Officer, David Duncan, and the director of the Centre for Sustainable Solutions, Jaime Toney.

Vidya Nanthakumar, 21, said: “We have locked ourselves to this gate because we are so frustrated that the University refuses to take the urgent action the climate crisis demands.

"In their meeting with the Vice Chancellor yesterday, the Green New Deal Coalition were only offered more talk, more dither, more delay.

"We are already in a climate crisis, we cannot afford to wait.”

Extinction Rebellion: Student activists lock themselves to gates of Glasgow University.

Eve Sharples, also 21, added: “We know what needs to be done, the Green New Deal made that very clear when it was published two years ago, yet the University still has no viable strategy to tackle its many ecologically destructive practices.

"The University must live up to its rhetoric on climate and implement the Deal now.”

The university’s Green New Deal was put together by a coalition of university societies and was published in February 2020.

It outlines 60 steps which could be taken to act on the climate emergency.

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