A careers panel featuring employers from the arms sector was quietly scheduled to take place in the Senate Room of the Main Building on 23 October, but did not go ahead after students organised a rally in opposition.
The event, titled “Careers in the Defence Sector,” was advertised to a selection of STEM students by email but was not listed on the University’s main careers platforms at the time.
The email invitation, sent to Physics and other STEM students, described the session as an opportunity to hear from “major employers from the defence sector” about graduate roles and internships. It stated that recruiters would outline what skills they seek and offer advice on entering engineering, technology, and related fields within the sector.
Glasgow University Stop the War and the Divestment Coalition say that they learned of the session after students forwarded the email privately. In response, the groups organised a rally in the Cloisters on the same day.
Hillhead Review has independently verified that the session had been scheduled and was planned to take place in the Senate Room during the advertised time.
Around 30 students gathered for the rally, holding signs and leading chants opposing the involvement of arms companies in campus recruitment. Several University security staff were stationed inside and outside building entrances near the planned venue. Security did not intervene, and the rally proceeded without incident.
The University of Glasgow told Hillhead Review that “the fair was postponed after companies took independent decisions not to attend.”
The University also stressed that they do not monitor “student societies’ social media posts on behalf of companies attending careers fairs.
“We do however seek to reassure all attendees at careers fairs that security will be in attendance at the events and that we will do our utmost to keep all attendees safe.”
A Careers Service source confirmed to Hillhead Review that the event has been cancelled, adding that they “hope to run it again in the near future,” though no replacement date is currently planned.
A spokesperson for the Divestment Coalition said:
“We could not stay silent when we learned that the University was inviting arms recruiters back onto campus for what appeared to be a quietly arranged defence careers panel. To show student opposition to the platforming of arms companies, we organised a rally in the Cloisters, close to where we understood the event would be taking place.
“After around half an hour of chanting and speeches, we noticed very few people attempting to enter the building. We then received word that the careers event had been cancelled, and we dispersed.
“The University clearly recognises how controversial these events are among students. That they were not willing to openly advertise it suggests that student pressure is having an impact. We see the cancellation as a positive step and will continue organising to end the presence of arms companies at careers fairs altogether.”
The Divestment Coalition has staged several protests this academic year calling for the University to cut ties with arms manufacturers, including through careers recruitment and investment. The group argues that hosting such companies on campus is incompatible with the University’s commitments to ethical practice and global responsibility.
The rally comes against the backdrop of a previous Student Representative Council (SRC) divestment referendum, in which the Divestment Coalition campaigned for the University to cut financial ties with arms manufacturers.
In that vote, 8,668 students (around 89%) supported divestment, while 1,038 (around 11%) opposed it. It had the highest turnout of an SRC vote in recent years.
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