How UK universities briefed BAE Systems on pro-Palestine campus protests
Several universities discussed protests with the weapons maker, raising concerns about influence and academic freedom.
Thirteen British universities have discussed how to handle pro-Palestine campus protests with the United Kingdom’s largest weapons manufacturer, including ramping up security at events and coordinating responses to criticism.
The correspondence between universities and BAE Systems was uncovered in emails and internal documents obtained in a joint investigation by Liberty Investigates and Al Jazeera.
One United Nations expert said these disclosures suggest a “troubling pattern” of universities taking “operational cues and security strategies from weapons manufacturers to suppress their own students”.
Three students were later disciplined after protesting BAE’s presence at a QMUL event. Emails show QMUL staff apparently scoured social media videos to identify them before passing information on to the university misconduct team. QMUL did not respond to a request for comment, while a Lancaster spokesperson said staff and students have “every right to protest on campus” if it is lawfully done in line “policies and processes”.