SHOCKING video captured the moment two “homeless men” brawled amid the gothic splendour of one of Britain’s oldest universities.
The two men hit and choke each other, fall over, and one ends up in a headlock as astonished students at Glasgow University look on.
As the middle-aged, red-faced fighters – one of them holding a bottle – continue their battle, the lecturer can be heard saying: “Folks, I think we will call the lecture to a halt today.”
Students claimed the two men came in for the start of the lecture at Bute Hall and started arguing loudly with each other 25 minutes before the end.
The incident has raised issues about security arrangements at the university, which dates from the 15th Century and whose buildings are spread across the west end of the city.
Ethan Dear, who filmed the clip, said one of the men shouted “I’ll murder you” as the other man ran out of the hall.
The video begins with two men grappling with each other in the pews of the lecture theatre in Bute Hall, the university’s gothic revival main hall, which was completed in 1884.
Ethan can be heard saying “What the f***?” as he zooms the video in to the two men punching each other.
Suddenly, one of the men bends the other one over a pew and starts to punch him.
As he puts him in a headlock, the lecturer can be heard telling students that she will be calling the lecture to a halt.
Just before the camera cuts away to show Ethan reacting in shock – it appears one of the men is holding a bottle in his hand.
Speaking today, Ethan said: “These two fairly scrappy looking men, possibly homeless, entered the Bute hall alongside the students at the start of our chemistry lecture.I didn’t want to cause a fuss and mention to the lecturer because it was still a possibility they were just older students.
“Around 25 minutes before the end, they started arguing and things just escalated, one of them hit the other with a can on the head.
“His head started bleeding and then they just started shouting. hitting and choking each other. So the lecturer called the lecture to a stop while they were still fighting, and after a few minutes one of them ran. The man left in the hall was shouting “you f****** scum, I’ll murder you.””
The lecture theatre is also used for the University’s graduation ceremonies, with notable alumni including economist and philosopher Adam Smith, engineer and inventor John Logie Baird and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Social media users were quick to react to the video, which was shared widely after being uploaded to the University’s snapchat story.
Harry said: I had front row seats, genuinely the best day of my life
Lisa joked: “So much for it being a posh uni.”
While Big Popz said simply: “Oh my gawwwwd.”
A spokeswoman for the University of Glasgow said: “Two individuals, who were not students, did gain access to a lecture in the Bute Hall and became disruptive.
“Security colleagues attended and escorted one of the men off campus, the other having already left.”
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said they were not called to the incident.
