Glasgow University must end investment in war profiteers
Glasgow University must stand up for peace by ending all of its investments in the arms industry, say the Scottish Greens. The call comes ahead of a crunch vote this afternoon by Glasgow University Court, the ruling body of the university.
Student activists have been campaigning for the university to end its investments in companies such as BAE Systems, which is Europe’s biggest arms company, with campaigners accusing them of complicity in ongoing war crimes in Gaza.
Reports by the Glasgow Guardian shows that the university has £6.8 million worth of investments in the arms trade.
Iris Duane, who was recently elected as Vice President for Student Support at the university, and is the Scottish Green candidate for Glasgow North, will join protests this afternoon outside the meeting.
Ms Duane said: “It’s thanks to the hard work of student activists over many years that this vote has even come to the table.
“Today the University of Glasgow Court has a choice - to listen to students in their demand for a better world and a more transparent institution, or to continue supporting arms dealers and war profiteers. I hope they make the right choice
“I am proud to have stood in solidarity with Palestine and worked with students who have put themselves on the line to keep the university in check.”
The Scottish Greens have led calls for the Scottish Government to end all financial support for the arms trade and end all procurement contracts for companies complicit in the illegal settlements in the West Bank.
The party Co-leader, and MSP for Glasgow, Patrick Harvie, said: “These investments should never have happened in the first place. Glasgow University has the opportunity to set a really important and powerful precedent by listening to students like Iris and ending their support for companies that are fuelling war.
“Public money should be used for the public good, not to bankroll arms companies who are doing terrible damage around the world, including those that are profiting from the genocide in Gaza.
“It’s not just Glasgow University who should be thinking about where their money goes and what it is funding. There is a moral responsibility on every public body and level of government to do the same.”
