Oxford University has incurred over £360,000 in costs as a result of pro-Palestine protests and OA4P encampments, according to figures recently obtained by Cherwell through a Freedom of Information Request.
The costs, which span from the beginning of Trinity Term 2024 to March 2025, include damages, repairs, ground restoration, and security expenses linked to various protests, some of which involved the occupation or vandalism of University buildings and lawns.
In total, the overall figure spent by the University on the clean-up of pro-Palestine protests to date is £366,874.99, according to information obtained by Cherwell. Many of the listed figures are exclusive of VAT, and the University has indicated that some costs remain estimates or are subject to final confirmation.
The single most significant cost was £250,000, attributed to vandalism at the Blavatnik School of Government in February 2025 by Palestine Action, a group not officially affiliated with OA4P. Protesters had sprayed red paint on the entrance of the building, and smashed several window panes on the outside.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police told Cherwell that a “28-year-old man from Oxford arrested in connection with this incident is on police bail while enquiries are ongoing.”
Vandalism of University offices at Wellington Square in October 2024 was another significant expense, with the University spending over £25,000 on repairs. A total of £4000 has been spent on removing graffiti from university buildings, the Saïd Business School and Examination Schools.
OA4P encampments at the Natural History Museum and around the Radcliffe Camera in Trinity 2024 amounted to £44,699 and £19,771 respectively, in most part due to grounds maintenance and returfing. At the Natural History Museum, over £500 was spent on repotting and caring for plants, lasting for six weeks.
Security measures added a further £11,848 to the University’s bill, mostly covering overtime for Oxford Security Services staff managing the protests.
Responding to the high costs incurred, OA4P told Cherwell: “The University has paid their own private security overtime to monitor students, called the police on students peacefully protesting, built fences around both the Radcliffe Camera and the Pitt Rivers Museum, erected barricades at Wellington Square, and bulldozed the memorial garden in the Pitt Rivers encampment all on their own dime.”
A University spokesperson told Cherwell that all repairs were “carried out to a standard appropriate to the damaged properties”, though no further detail was provided.
