Protestors from Extinction Rebellion Youth Cambridge used chalk spray on the walls of Cambridge’s BP Institute (BPI), located in the Madingley Rise Site in West Cambridge, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Monday.

The oil spill, attributed to BP’s “chronic” safety lapses, began on 20th April 2010 and resulted in the discharge of an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

XR Youth Cambridge, the youth wing of XR Cambridge, claim that Monday’s action was “necessary” to “voice opposition against the exploitation of our planet”.

The BPI, which is the workplace of almost 40 academics and researchers, was established in 2000 following a £22 million endowment from BP plc.

Messages sprayed on the BPI on Monday include ‘11 DEAD 10 YEARS’ and a reference to the ‘4.9 mil barrels’ spilt. The messages are accompanied by the Extinction Rebellion (XR) logo.

The chalk messages follow XR protestors extensive action in February, which included a blockade of the BPI, activists digging up Trinity College lawn and a week-long roadblock between Trumpington Street and the Fen Causeway.

A spokesperson for XR Youth Cambridge commented on the action: “as oil companies seek bailouts from our government, it is essential that we continue to highlight the harm they have and are causing, especially as climate and ecological breakdown have been shown to make pandemics much more likely.”

The protestors ensured they followed social distancing guidelines during Monday’s action and wore face masks.

A spokesperson for XR Youth Cambridge told Varsity that “the action took place during our daily exercise” and that they had visited the BPI at “a quiet time of day to minimise contact with others.”

Despite the current lockdown in the UK, XR Youth Cambridge describes the action as “work that cannot be performed at home.”

They further asserted that “it is vital that environmental activism continues in a new, more socially distant form, or we risk far worse crises than COVID-19 in the near future. The biggest threat to public health is the climate crisis.”

In response to whether the spray paint would have any impact, given that probably not many people will visit the building during the current lockdown, XR claimed that limited footfall is a minor concern as “the majority of awareness-raising is taking place online”, having timed Monday’s actions to coincide with other online activists campaigning against BP.

XR claimed the primary purpose of their action is “to remind the University of their connections with the Deepwater Horizon via BP”.

XR used today’s actions to reiterate their three demands to the University: the removal of the names of fossil fuel companies from anything associated with the University, ending support for extractivist research — referring to the extraction of natural resources for export — and ending support for fossil fuel companies at careers events held in the University.

The messages were sprayed on the BPI on the same day that US oil prices turned negative, following reduced demand for oil caused by coronavirus lockdown measures.

XR told Varsity that “the spraying was planned before the news about falling oil prices” but that they are “watching the situation with interest.”

The spokesperson suggested that the coronavirus pandemic has created “the perfect time to move away from unsustainable and polluting energy sources – not just to protect the environment but to create high-skilled, well-paid jobs for workers who have lost their jobs.”

The University did not respond to Varsity's request for comment.