Demilitarising UK universities could have a global ripple effect on the arms industry. The UK is the second largest exporter of weapons, including the second biggest exporter to Saudi Arabia. This is in spite of evidence of Saudi war crimes committed with UK weapons, such as BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, both of which have funded tens of millions of dollars in UK university research. Further, the UK is staunchly blocking an international ban on lethal autonomous weapons systems or “killer robots”, which is no surprise given the massive investments that arms companies are pouring into university-based research in the UK for these weapons systems.

Universities' partnerships with the arms trade also jeopardise their potential position as agenda-setters in responding to the climate emergency. The UK’s military and its arms companies produce 6.5 million tonnes of CO2 a year — more emissions than 60 individual countries!

The bottom line is: universities hold undeniable power to shape society. Instead of profiting off of resource exploitation, conflict, and the building-up of weapons stockpiles, universities can shape a new understanding of higher education that supports ethical and sustainable partnerships to resolve our real world challenges, like climate change and poverty. Help us send a message to UK universities, urging them to divest from the arms industry, end their research partnerships with weapons companies, and invest in peaceful, sustainable innovation!

The military-industrial complex has allowed our universities to be overrun by arms trade interests, and students have had enough.