23-04-2025
Glasgow University students block West End road amid protest
The protest, which began at around 11am, was in response to a University Court meeting scheduled for the same day at 1.45pm.
The students, alongside supporters from the Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee (GGEC), Glasgow University Celtic Supporters Club (GUCSC), and other pro-Palestinian organisations, are part of the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) campaign.
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The protestors called on the court members to vote for unconditional divestment from arms companies, which make more than 10% of their earnings from arms sales.
This demand followed the release of the court agenda on April 16, 2025, which made no mention of a vote on divestment, only a revision of the Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) policy.
The SRI policy does not include the requirement to divest from arms companies.
The roadblock is the latest in a series of actions on the university campus by GUJPS.
In March, the group increased their presence on campus through continued direct action.
Students took part in a 10-day hunger strike, established an encampment on Library Hill, and last month, more than 100 students blocked University Avenue.
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GUJPS argue that the university's investments in arms companies make it complicit in war crimes and the genocide in Palestine.
The group are also protesting the university's increased crackdown on student activism, as one of their members, Neve Mclean, faces a ban from the university campus.
This is the second Glasgow University student to face these disciplinary measures for their involvement in student activism this year, following the ban of Hannah Taylor, which was recently revoked.
Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah, Rector of Glasgow University, recently commented on the use of 'authoritarian' measures from the University management following the ban placed on youth demand activist Hannah Taylor.
In January 2024, a Demilitarise Education FOI request showed that there were 23 active grants totalling at least £60,343,849 at the University of Glasgow, which were in partnership with—or in a few cases, directly funded by—10 defence companies.
These grants covered research grants, studentships, and research centres, and were held across four schools at the University of Glasgow, including Engineering and Physics and Astronomy.
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According to Glasgow University's Student Representative Council (SRC), they held an indicative referendum last month.
The motion was: "Should the University of Glasgow stop investing in companies that earn more than 10% of their revenue from the arms and defence industry?"
The motion passed with 83.9% of votes in favour.
An open letter was published by the SRC in the days following the vote, but there has been no response from university management.
