COO David Duncan emailed the student following a disruption in front of the Rankine Building which took place on 27 November.
On 19 December 2024, University Chief Operating Officer (COO) David Duncan sent an email to a student warning them of potential future sanctions, including suspension of studies, if they engaged in any more “disruptive action” on University premises. The email was sent following the events which occurred on 27 November 2024, when Glasgow University Against Arms & Fossil Fuels (GAAF) and Glasgow University Justice for Palestine Society (GUJPS) blocked the entrances to the Rankine Building.
In the email, Duncan stated that “the University upholds the right of colleagues and students to take part in peaceful demonstrations” as they consider this an “integral part of their approach to maintaining freedom of expression.” He deemed the disruption as a breach of the University’s Expected Behavior Policy (37.6) quoting that “[…] members of the University community do not have the right to disrupt the activities of others or to prevent them going about their business”. Duncan states that “any repeat will result in formal action under the Student Code of Conduct which could lead to sanction, up to and including suspension of studies”.
However, it is not clear what the consequences of breaching this policy entail. Annex C of Non-Academic Misconduct of the Student Contract does not mention suspensions of studies as a resolution to “disruption of University activities”. In point 37.7.2 of the Expected Behavior Policy, it is stated that the individual may be suspended from the University, or prohibited from entering the University campus, only in cases of violent behaviour.
GAAF and GUJP organised a blockade at the building’s entrance to protest the University’s indirect investments in weapons engineering firms. The groups mentioned the links between the University and Leonardo, Thales, BAE Systems and QuinetiQ. In a publicly available list of investments, in 2023, the University invested £51,635.40 in Leonardo SPA, £45,769.17 in Thales, a total of £1.498.985,84 to BAE Systems (BAE Systems PLC and BAE Systems PLC Ordinary), and £884,062.71 in the Qinetiq Group. This is a total of £2,480,543.12 that the University has invested towards weapons firms. All these companies have been found developing or providing weapons for Israel.
This is not the first time Duncan has sent an email to a student informing them of “sanctions, up to and including suspension of studies” following a protest. Duncan sent a similar email to another student in October following a disruption taking place on 23 October at the STEM Careers fair where students protested against the participation of BAE Systems, Royal Air Force (RAF) and CGI Group. In this email, he also mentions a potential suspension of studies. Again, it is unclear what breach of policy was recorded on the day.
The Glasgow Guardian reached out to Duncan for comment. He was asked if he considered the demonstration on the 27 November to be ‘violent’. He was also asked for clarification regarding the University’s policy on what acts/infringements carry a suspension of studies as a consequence. We enquired whether there were any attempts to engage directly with the students involved in the protest before issuing these warnings. Finally, we asked if there is precedence for sanctioning and/or suspending a student’s studies under similar circumstances and if he could help us identify any relevant cases.
In response, Duncan did not directly address our specific queries, and instead issued a short statement, stating that the University “advised students both collectively and, in some instances, individually, on this issue.” The Glasgow Guardian has contacted both GAAF and GJUPS but received no clarification on this issue. Duncan emphasised what was previously stated in his most recent email to the student, which was that “The University supports the right to freedom of expression and peaceful demonstration, but it will not tolerate activities which deliberately prevent other members of our community from going about their business in peace. Participation in disruptive activities such as blocking access to buildings could result in action under the student code of conduct and could lead to sanction, up to and including suspension of studies”.
The Glasgow Guardian reached out a second time to have Duncan address our questions, to which Duncan issued a second short comment: “We have a duty to be clear with students about what behaviour is acceptable and what is unacceptable. We have sought to do this through general and individual communications”.
Duncan did not respond to any further questions.
Following our second request for a comment and the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza, Duncan published an article for Wonkhe titled ‘UK universities and the war in Gaza’. Wonkhe is a UK-based organisation that focuses on higher education policy and news aimed at policymakers, university staff, and students. Duncan’s article is a reflection on “how universities have managed campus relations during the conflict in the Middle East – and what practical action is needed now”. In his article, he specifically discusses “campus protests” and the devastation that Palestinians in Gaza have endured. As a result of the protests, Duncan points to how university managers have been put “under considerable pressure”, and considers the concerns of staff and students “justified”. He argues administrators were initially reluctant to talk about this ongoing issue for fear of “alienating different groups or making individuals who had an affiliation with Israel feel under attack”.
According to Duncan, senior management officials in UK universities shared common ideas, “voicing support for academic freedom and freedom of expression while calling on protestors to respect the position of others”. To them “A key concern was to ensure that students (especially, in this instance, Jewish and Muslim students and staff) always felt welcome and safe on campus. […] The university issued regular reminders about good conduct but did not rush to take disciplinary action against individuals”.
Concerning the divestment vote that happened in November 2024, Duncan stated, similarly to his previous interview with the Glasgow Guardian that “a majority agreed with senior managers that it was morally right for the UK to have a defence sector and that this should be distinguished both from the conflict in the Middle East and from the question of which countries the UK sold arms to”.
Lastly, in regards to the upcoming semester, Duncan said that “the events [ceasefire in Gaza] of the past few days should give us hope, and we in the higher education sector should do everything we can to advance the cause of peace and reconstruction.”
The student who received the email, and requested to remain anonymous, said to the Glasgow Guardian “I speak only for myself, not for the other individual threatened by Duncan.” They stated that “receiving this email has been stressful” and “it is entirely fitting that this university’s senior management responds to student frustrations with further oppression. While Duncan will continue to insist that he has engaged with students on this issue, the only acceptable response remains divestment.”
In November, senior management acknowledged that a “clear majority of staff and students’ who were surveyed were in support of divestment, yet the University refuses to sever ties with the defence sector.” They continued ‘‘Any communication from David Duncan or senior management is meaningless unless accompanied by concrete steps to dismantle their financial and ideological complicity in the Israeli apartheid state”.
The student told the Glasgow Guardian that they believe that “what we are fighting for goes beyond the ‘tired angry and reactionary young people’ narrative that is so lazily painted on us […]. So when we say, we will not stop, we will not rest, we mean it. We look forward to the day when management joins the majority of this student and staff body in pushing for a better world—not just with words, but with action.”
The Glasgow Guardian has contacted the University for further comment. A University spokesperson said “We have advised students both collectively and, in some instances, individually, on this issue. The University supports the right to peaceful demonstration, but it will not tolerate activities which deliberately prevent other members of our community from going about their business in peace.
“Participation in disruptive activities such as blocking access to buildings could result in action under the student code of conduct and could lead to sanction, up to and including suspension of studies.”
