Amnesty International Society creates petition demanding University divests from the arms trade

An online petition, referred to as the Books Not Bombs campaign, is requesting the University of Glasgow’s immediate divestment from arms manufacturing companies and arms dealers. Started by Glasgow University Amnesty International, the petition calls for the University’s disinvestment from BAE Systems, QinetiQ and Cobham PLC, claiming that these companies fail to comply with the University’s Socially Responsible Investment policy.

The petition, which was started four weeks ago, currently has 384 signatures at the time of publication.

Glasgow University Amnesty International specifies in the petition that “our university has invested approximately £1.4m in arms dealers and arms manufacturing companies.

The petition also states that “we need to collectively voice our objection to investments that fuel wars and cause death.”

Instead, Glasgow University Amnesty International is demanding that the University invests in a more sustainable future.

This is not the only industry that the University has been petitioned to divest from. In 2014, the University of Glasgow Court decided in favour of divesting from the fossil fuel industry, after the Glasgow University Climate Action had petitioned them to do so.

The petition also requests that the aforementioned companies be banned from careers fairs, post-graduate schemes and other campus events.

Speaking to The Glasgow Guardian, Elli Folkensson and Aike Jansen, campaign managers for the society said: “We want to push the University of Glasgow to divest from companies invested in the arms trade and instead make investments towards a sustainable future that we would all want to be a part of. It ultimately comes down to the kind of impact we want the university to have and how we, as students and ‘world changers’, want to contribute to our society.”

The petition can be found here:
https://www.change.org/p/glasgow-university-divestglasgow-books-not-bombs