Extinction Rebellion members "drowned in fake blood" outside the University of Bristol's Wills Memorial Building this afternoon, Wednesday, March 13. The protesters, part of Extinction Rebellion Youth Bristol (XRYB), sought to highlight the University's links with the arms trade.
The Extinction Rebellion protesters accuse the University of Bristol is being "complicit in the destruction of the people of Palestinian". However, the University of Bristol has previously stated that "defence companies do a lot more than arms manufacturing and development".
Today's action, which took place at around 12.30pm, is the third 'drowning in blood' protest carried out by XRYB as part of their 'Arms out of Bristol and off Campus' campaign. They are calling for the university to end all promotion of arms-related careers and to commit to cutting partnerships with companies that produce arms.
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A University of Bristol spokesperson said: “We respect our students’ freedom of speech and right to protest and our Vice-Chancellor is always happy to meet with students to hear their concerns.
"The University’s association with a wide variety of organisations helps drive innovative research and improves our students’ future careers. All our partnerships undergo stringent diligence checks and ethical reviews.”
During today's action a student read out a speech which stated: “The University of Bristol claims to be committed to tackling the climate crisis, but its continued collusion with arms companies suggests otherwise. It is estimated that 5-6% of global C02 emissions are from armed forces and industries, which is more than all civil aviation.
"The university maintains careers and research partnerships with arms companies, and over the last seven years it has received over 12 million pounds from companies involved in the arms trade, including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Thales and BAE systems. BAE systems and Rolls-Royce are involved in the construction of fighter jets used for air strikes in Gaza, and by continuing to partner with such companies, the university is complicit in the destruction of the people of Palestine.”
A spokesperson from XRYB added: "The fact that arms companies carry out other business does not negate the harm that these companies do to the environment and people. This includes the current murdering of civilians in Gaza, the arms for which are in part provided by University of Bristol partners BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce.
"While we understand that UoB wants to offer a wide range of career opportunities, we believe that can be achieved without connections with arms companies. It is past time that the university career service will transition to promoting more green careers with green companies and stop encouraging students into unethical companies."
