Warwick student's challenge BAE
As part of CAAT's Control BAE month of action anti-arms trade campaigners in Warwick University organised a day of action to protest against 12 arms companies coming to their "Engineering and Technology" careers fair.
Barnaby Pace writes:
“We had a great day - we did the normal leafletting and petitioning of all the people entering and leaving the careers fair, we sold peace poppies and sent postcards off to MPs. We had some people dressed up as eye-catching zombies and others dressed up as corporate types promoting BAE Systems and handing out free sweeties (as recruiting companies do) – which were in fact mutilated jelly babies. This worked very well as many students who avoided the protestors were willing to talk to the corporate looking types. We had a samba band in the morning combined with some speeches. Then at 2.45pm, 11 grim reapers simultaneously appeared in the careers fair next to arms companies' stalls. We hid our death costumes (including extendable scythes!) under jackets and in backpacks to get past security. I was escorted out of the fair by the police within about 30 seconds but others were in for around 5 minutes. Details were taken but no further action was taken against any of us for the stunts. In fact, security and the police were happy that the stunt was non-violent and wasn't disruptive to the students looking for jobs with the other 45 legitimate companies at the fair.
It was a really successful day - we got a good amount of local and student media coverage and raised a lot of awareness on campus. We were told by the police that at least one company pulled out of the fair due to there being a protest and the university careers service was not happy about the protest, so it has had some effect. We now have meetings set up with the local MP, Jim Cunningham, and are hoping to get some meetings with the university.“
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