Picture credit – Stephen Sweeney
By Christina Moffat, reporting from the Glasgow Sheriff Court
Two students have been found not guilty of vandalism after spraying paint on the James McCune Smith Learning Hub during a protest against Glasgow University’s links to arms companies.
Hannah Taylor, 25, a mathematics master’s student at the University of Glasgow, and Catriona Roberts, 23, who studies social policy and history at Strathclyde University, were acquitted of malicious mischief at Glasgow Sheriff Court. The pair represented themselves during the trial.
The court heard evidence from two detective constables who were questioned about CCTV footage provided by the University of Glasgow. Around ten supporters sat in the public gallery during the proceedings for the two defendants.
The court heard that both students admitted using water-based red paint to spray the exterior of the James McCune Smith building on February 6th, 2025. Roberts told the court that they chose the paint because it could be “easily removed “ and said that the protest was timed to ensure “no students’ education would be impacted.”
Taylor told the court the protest aimed to draw attention to the university’s investments, saying she felt “no shame or regret” over her actions. She also said the demonstration was in response to the university management “releasing a survey to feign interest in “student and staff voices“ while ignoring calls to divest from arms linked to atrocities in Palestine.
The protest formed part of a wider student campaign urging the University of Glasgow to divest from companies supplying weapons used in conflicts in Gaza and elsewhere.
Both students were found not guilty, bringing the case to a close at Glasgow Sheriff and Justice of the Peace Courts, which drew attention to renewed student activism over the university investment policy.
