How UK universities briefed BAE Systems on pro-Palestine campus protests | Protests News | Al Jazeera

Thirteen UK universities discussed with BAE Systems, the country's largest arms manufacturer, how to handle pro-Palestine protests on campus, including increasing security and coordinating responses. These communications, uncovered through emails and internal documents, reveal BAE encouraged universities to develop messaging to counter protesters' narratives, especially after an online event in October 2024 where students accused BAE of killing children in Gaza. Universities such as Manchester, Nottingham, Southampton, Birmingham, Strathclyde, and Cranfield, considered strategic partners, receive up to 15 million pounds annually from BAE. A UN expert described these disclosures as a troubling pattern of universities taking operational cues from weapons manufacturers to suppress student activism.