Latest news with #StellaSwain
ITV News
21-05-2025
- Business
- ITV News
King's College Cambridge to cut ties with arms companies following student protests
A Cambridge University college has announced it will divest money from arms companies "prompted by the occupation of Ukraine and Palestinian territories," following months of student protests. King's College Cambridge has announced that its governing body has voted to "adopt a new responsible investment policy" to align with the values of its community. It comes after pro-Palestine protesters staged demonstrations and set up encampments calling on the university to sever ties with Israel over the war in Gaza. Student-led group Cambridge for Palestine has been calling on the university to divest from companies "complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine". Under the new policy, King's College's financial investments will exclude companies that are involved in activities "generally recognised as illegal or contravening global norms, such as occupation". It will also exclude companies that produce military and nuclear weapons, weapons restricted by international treaty, or companies that produce key or dedicated components of such weapons. The policy builds on discussions about the relationship between the college investments and its values, which were "prompted by the occupation of Ukraine and Palestinian territories". Gillian Tett, provost of King's College, said: "This is a positive result from a process that engaged voices from all areas of our community. "I commend the members of the working group for their incredibly thoughtful engagement and deep commitment to work towards an approach that reflects the college's values and demonstrates our capacity to model transformation." King's College said the next steps would be to implement the changes in the coming months, with an aim to complete no later than the end of the year. Student activist group King's Cambridge 4 Palestine said: "King's College's decision must trigger global condemnation of Israel's actions against the Palestinian people." Stella Swain, youth and student officer at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: "This is a massive victory, and speaks to the incredible power and commitment of student campaigning, at King's College and across the country. "If King's College, at the heart of Cambridge, can finally listen to its students and divest from the arms industry and companies complicit in the illegal occupation of Palestine, then every university can act to ensure they are on the right side of history."
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
University college to stop arms company investment
A college at a leading university has said it will no longer invest in arms companies following a number of student protests. King's College, part of the University of Cambridge, said its governing body had voted to "adopt a new responsible investment policy" to align with the values of its community. It comes after pro-Palestine protesters staged demonstrations and set up encampments against the war in Gaza at the university last year. Stella Swain, youth and student officer at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said it was a "massive victory". Student-led group Cambridge for Palestine has called on the university to divest from companies "complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine". King's College's new financial investments will exclude companies that are involved in activities "generally recognised as illegal or contravening global norms, such as occupation", it said. It will also exclude companies which produce military and nuclear weapons, weapons restricted by international treaty, or companies that produce key or dedicated components of such weapons. The policy builds on discussions about the relationship between the college's investments and its values, which were "prompted by the occupation of Ukraine and Palestinian territories". Gillian Tett, provost of King's College, said: "This is a positive result from a process that engaged voices from all areas of our community. "I commend the members of the working group for their incredibly thoughtful engagement and deep commitment to work towards an approach that reflects the college's values and demonstrates our capacity to model transformation." The college said the changes could be in place by the end of the year. Ms Swain said: "This is a massive victory, and speaks to the incredible power and commitment of student campaigning, at King's College and across the country. "If King's College, at the heart of Cambridge, can finally listen to its students and divest from the arms industry and companies complicit in the illegal occupation of Palestine, then every university can act to ensure they are on the right side of history." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Jeremy Bowen: Goodwill running out as UK, France and Canada demand Israel end Gaza offensive Palestine Action sprays paint on Cambridge building Gaza protest relocates outside graduation hall Scores protest against Gaza war outside university University of Cambridge King's College Cambridge Cambridge Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Western Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Cambridge college to cut ties with arms companies following student protests
King's College said on Tuesday that its governing body has voted to 'adopt a new responsible investment policy' to align with the values of its community. It comes after pro-Palestine protesters staged demonstrations and set up encampments against the war in Gaza at Cambridge University last year. Student-led group Cambridge for Palestine has been calling on the university to divest from companies 'complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine'. Under the new policy, King's College's financial investments will exclude companies that are involved in activities 'generally recognised as illegal or contravening global norms, such as occupation'. It will also exclude companies which produce military and nuclear weapons, weapons restricted by international treaty, or companies that produce key or dedicated components of such weapons. The policy builds on discussions about the relationship between the college's investments and its values, which were 'prompted by the occupation of Ukraine and Palestinian territories'. Gillian Tett, provost of King's College, said: 'This is a positive result from a process that engaged voices from all areas of our community. 'I commend the members of the working group for their incredibly thoughtful engagement and deep commitment to work towards an approach that reflects the College's values and demonstrates our capacity to model transformation.' King's College said the next steps will be to implement the changes across the college's investment portfolio in the coming months, with an aim to complete no later than the end of the calendar year. Student activist group King's Cambridge 4 Palestine (KC4P) said: 'King's College's decision must trigger global condemnation of Israel's actions against the Palestinian people.' Stella Swain, youth and student officer at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: 'This is a massive victory, and speaks to the incredible power and commitment of student campaigning, at King's College and across the country. 'If King's College, at the heart of Cambridge, can finally listen to its students and divest from the arms industry and companies complicit in the illegal occupation of Palestine, then every university can act to ensure they are on the right side of history.'
South Wales Argus
20-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Cambridge college to cut ties with arms companies following student protests
King's College said on Tuesday that its governing body has voted to 'adopt a new responsible investment policy' to align with the values of its community. It comes after pro-Palestine protesters staged demonstrations and set up encampments against the war in Gaza at Cambridge University last year. Student-led group Cambridge for Palestine has been calling on the university to divest from companies 'complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine'. Under the new policy, King's College's financial investments will exclude companies that are involved in activities 'generally recognised as illegal or contravening global norms, such as occupation'. It will also exclude companies which produce military and nuclear weapons, weapons restricted by international treaty, or companies that produce key or dedicated components of such weapons. The policy builds on discussions about the relationship between the college's investments and its values, which were 'prompted by the occupation of Ukraine and Palestinian territories'. Gillian Tett, provost of King's College, said: 'This is a positive result from a process that engaged voices from all areas of our community. 'I commend the members of the working group for their incredibly thoughtful engagement and deep commitment to work towards an approach that reflects the College's values and demonstrates our capacity to model transformation.' King's College said the next steps will be to implement the changes across the college's investment portfolio in the coming months, with an aim to complete no later than the end of the calendar year. Student activist group King's Cambridge 4 Palestine (KC4P) said: 'King's College's decision must trigger global condemnation of Israel's actions against the Palestinian people.' Stella Swain, youth and student officer at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: 'This is a massive victory, and speaks to the incredible power and commitment of student campaigning, at King's College and across the country. 'If King's College, at the heart of Cambridge, can finally listen to its students and divest from the arms industry and companies complicit in the illegal occupation of Palestine, then every university can act to ensure they are on the right side of history.'
Arab News
16-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
UK universities hold almost $610m worth of investments linked to Israel, data shows
LONDON: UK universities hold almost $610 million worth of investments linked to Israel, research by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign has shown. The organization submitted freedom of information requests to universities across the UK, discovering financial ties to major Israel-linked companies including BAE Systems, Siemens and Barclays. Student-led campaigns to divest university investments from Israel have won a series of victories in Britain and continue to gain momentum. The PSC has led efforts to pressure universities and other institutions into abandoning financial ties to Israel. It is part of the larger Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement launched among Palestinian civil society in 2005. The organization received responses from 87 universities following the freedom of information request campaign and has published a database of university ties to Israel through financial investments. 'Direct complicity includes military, security, technological, financial, logistical or infrastructure support,' the PSC said. 'This information adds impetus to the growing divestment campaigns led by students and academics that have won significant concessions from university authorities in the past 18 months.' The organization found that several universities, including the Essex, Kingston and Warwick, have invested significant funds into companies such as HSBC, Alphabet and All three companies have faced criticism over their ties to Israel. Stella Swain, the PSC's youth and student officer, said: 'It's absolutely shameful that any university is investing in companies complicit in genocide. The fact that our universities invest £460 million ($610 million) in these corporations is an outrage. 'But students across the country are taking action to demand an end to this complicity, standing in a proud history of student resistance to occupation, colonization and apartheid.' The organization singled out four companies with extensive ties to the Israeli military: Caterpillar, which supplies bulldozers to the IDF; BAE Systems, a key partner in the F-35 jet program; Palantir, which provides AI tools to the IDF; and Alphabet, Google's parent company which offers cloud computing services to Israeli forces. Several universities across the UK have made major concessions to student protesters amid mounting pressure from the BDS movement. Swansea University in Wales committed to abandoning the £5 million it holds in Barclays Bank, while Cambridge's Trinity College voted last year to divest its sizable investment portfolio from arms companies. Meanwhile, the University of Portsmouth recently divested an £800,000 investment in Caterpillar following significant student pressure. 'Universities can choose to end their complicity,' Swain said. 'Many have started divestment negotiations as a result of student organizing over the past two years. 'These wins show that we need to keep up the pressure until we achieve divestment at every university.'
