Statement on Arms Recruitment on Campus
29th October 2025 (Updated 5th November 2025)
We unequivocally stand against the presence of arms company recruiters on campus.
The University of Glasgow invites these companies to careers events, normalising their facilitation of war crimes and human rights abuses.
After our peers demonstrated against them, the University agreed to monitor student social media for BAE - reporting back on any activity related to protests - and came to an undisclosed agreement with Leonardo, to attract the two firms back to future events (as disclosed by Liberty Investigates and reported by the Hillhead Review).
Both companies' products have been used to kill civilians in Yemen and Gaza, and in instances of violence further afield (according to AOAV, The Ferret and CAAT).
The student body is overwhelmingly opposed to this unethical sector - as the SRC referendum showed, 90% of us support arms divestment. Despite this, the University invited arms companies back onto campus for a secretive defence careers panel on the 23rd of October. Knowing how negatively it would be perceived, they attempted to keep details of the event under wraps.
Boycott all arms recruitment events. Don't be tempted by their blood money profits, earned from war and suffering.
The secrecy surrounding this latest event means we are having an impact. After we announced a rally outside it, the University seemingly cancelled the event. The message is clear - student demonstrations against arms recruiters are working. If we persevere in our actions, we have a real opportunity to expel them from campus for good.
Signed,
Members of the Divestment Coalition.
Find out more about the University's arms investments and partnerships.