A group of pro-Palestinian activists claimed responsibility for vandalizing an administrative building in Oakland on Sunday, leaving the office with broken windows and red paint daubed across its facade.
Identifying as “anti-colonial anarchists and communists,” the group asserted it attacked the University of California Office of the President via an Indybay post on Tuesday morning, saying protest participants defaced the exterior and released hundreds of cockroaches inside the building.
“Using a fire extinguisher filled with red paint, we covered the facade and smashed seven windows,” said the post credited to “sacred black and red.” “Then, with access to the building, we released 500 cockroaches inside and emptied a second fire extinguisher onto the interior.”
Oakland police confirmed officers responded to an act of vandalism at the building early Sunday morning. Officers said multiple people used an object to break windows before throwing paint on the walls and then walking away from the area. Police are investigating the incident as a “hate-related crime.”
The president’s office confirmed there was graffiti and other damage to its building but did not confirm evidence of cockroaches. The office said it is working with law enforcement to investigate the incident.
The Indybay writer posted photos, apparently after the incident, showing an empty water jug in front of the smashed windows with the word “BONK” written on it.
The phrase “sacred black and red” refers to a pro-Palestinian student protestor at Humboldt’s California State Polytechnic University who hit a police officer on the head with an empty water jug in April, which made a “bonk” sound.