Hillhead Review

Freedom of Information disclosures requested by Liberty Investigates have uncovered that arms companies, including BAE Systems and Leonardo, questioned the University of Glasgow about student protests before agreeing to take part in careers and recruitment events.

A “university security questionnaire” sent by BAE Systems to Glasgow staff asked whether the University was “aware of any social media protests posts or videos,” as part of a vetting process before attending on-campus events.

The request formed part of a wider pattern of correspondence between the University and arms companies revealed through documents obtained by Liberty Investigates.

In May this year, Glasgow’s Careers Service staff met with arms firm Leonardo to discuss student engagement. Following the meeting, a Leonardo representative wrote:

“It’s reassuring to know that we’re not going to have the step back because we can’t find a route to engaging with students and keep our staff safe.”

The emails show the University facilitating further collaboration with the company, including site visits to Leonardo’s Edinburgh base and adding its representatives to Glasgow’s careers platform, allowing them to advertise vacancies and events directly to students.

The correspondence also aligns with guidance circulated by the Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO), which advises universities on managing protests at career events. In a January 2025 email to members, AUCSO reported briefing Universities UK on “career fair disruptions… linked to Energy Companies, Financial Institutions, [and] Arms/Military connections.” The message encouraged university security teams to monitor social media, liaise closely with event organisers, and share intelligence on “targeted” firms across campuses.

The email also recommended pre-emptive contact with companies that might face protests and the use of body-worn cameras, bag searches, and “security spotters” to identify repeat activists. AUCSO’s guidance framed the protests as a coordinated attempt to prevent certain employers from engaging with students, calling for a balance between the “right to protest” and universities’ reputational and operational concerns.

Student activists have condemned the University’s cooperation with arms firms. A spokesperson for the Divestment Coalition told Hillhead Review:

“It’s disappointing, but not unexpected, that the University would oblige arms companies at the expense of its own students.

In a Court meeting last year, senior management’s main reason for remaining invested in arms was to avoid expressing any opposition to the UK defence sector.Happily ignoring the majority of their staff and students, they’re trying to stay in the good books of these arms companies to keep the research partnership money flowing, no matter how unethical its source. 

The Divestment Coalition will call for the University to stop inviting arms companies to events on campus altogether, rather than bending over backwards to accommodate them.”

In response to requests from Hillhead Review, a spokesperson for the University of Glasgow said that the University’s reply to an unnamed company’s question about protest activity -“Are you aware of social media posts or videos?”- was simply “no.”

“This does not mean that the University monitors student societies’ social media posts on behalf of companies attending careers fairs,” the spokesperson said. “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.”

The revelations emerged a day after student activist organisations held demonstrations on campus in relation to the war in Gaza on October 7th.

It was additionally disclosed within the report shared by The Guardian that four students were subject to disciplinary investigations linked to protests on campus during the same period.

Leonardo, and BAE have not responded to requests for comment.