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University Clampdown on Campus Protest

seeds for change | 12.05.2005 12:48 | Anti-militarism | Bio-technology | Repression | Cambridge

Lancaster University has brought charges against 6 students and graduates after a peaceful protest against Arms Dealers and GM Companies on campus.

In a move that is being watched by other universities and colleges Lancaster University is trying to silence criticism of its controversial links with multinational corporations. If Lancaster Uni gets away with this then we can expect similar strong arm tactics to silence critical students everywhere!

The six students and members of the local community are facing charges of Aggravated Trespass for going into a lecture theatre to explain their opposition and hand out leaflets to delegates at a networking meeting for large companies (mainly involved in the defence industries, but also including GM, electronics and oil interests) and academic researchers.

They face up to three months in jail.


WHAT YOU CAN DO

The Supporters Group is asking campaigners everywhere to:

* WRITE TO THE VICE CHANCELLOR of Lancaster University - to ask him to DROP THE CHARGES against the six, and to introduce a PROPER FREEDOM OF SPEECH policy that doesn't allow the university to intimidate dissenting voices.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Paul Wellings
University House
University of Lancaster
Lancaster LA1 4YW
Tel: 01524 592001
E-mail:  m.needham@lancaster.ac.uk

A sample letter is available at:  http://www.free-webspace.biz/GeorgeFox/letter.pdf


* Check with your own institution whether they have a policy of allowing peaceful protest.

* Ask your union to pass a motion to support the 6, and to inform Lancaster University of this motion.

* If your university or union has an environment or ethics officer, ask them to support the campaign to drop the charges and for all universities to allow criticism and protest on campus.


MORE INFO

You can get up to date news, and more information from  http://www.free-webspace.biz/GeorgeFox/index.html

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AND A BIT OF BACKGROUND INFO

On the 10th September 2004 a "Corporate Venturing" conference was held at a lecture theatre at Lancaster University. The conference focused on business networking, and the "commercialisation of Intellectual Property".

In clear English, this was an event for large multinational corporations (see list on the website) to "network", and work out how best to exploit academic research.

The protestors, all students or graduates, took exception to two things -

first that controversial corporations with appalling human rights, animal welfare and environmental standards should be aided and abetted by their university;

and secondly, that the university should wholeheartedly engage in selling off student and staff research, to be privatised, copyrighted and patented as so-called "intellectual property" of these companies, rather than contributed to the body of knowledge - as has been the role of universities for hundreds of years.

The six students and graduates went into the Lecture Theatre and handed out leaflets and talked to delegates. Some delegates were interested in what was being said, and engaged the protestors in conversation while security removed others. The demonstration continued outside.

The police were called at that point, but they told the demonstrators they were doing nothing illegal, and that seemed
to be the end of the matter.

However, five months later, all six received a court summons for Aggravated Trespass. This is a criminal offence, but the main ingredient is trespass - a civil matter - so the charges cannot be pressed without the university's approval. Only they can decide if the protesters (all students or graduates!) were trespassing by being on campus.

The protestors felt they had to make an attempt to directly engage with delegates since the university provides no way for those not directly involved in conferences to voice support or opposition. In this case it appears the university had attempted to hide the fact that the conference was taking place - the protestors only found out about it that very morming. The university has also admitted that it had not followed its own procedures for non-academic meetings.

The supporters group are urging the university to drop the charges against the proterstors and to adopt a real Freedom of Speech Policy that doesn't allow criminalisation of peaceful protest. Lancaster University Students' Union also supports this call.

seeds for change

Comments

Hide the following 11 comments

solidarity

12.05.2005 14:03

That is rediculous. I'm at Stirling Uni and I'm trying to get some kind of message of support sorted. Hopefully youll hear from us soon. We haven't had anything like this *yet*.

Good luck.

S


Defend the Right To Protest

12.05.2005 14:04

What is happeningin Lancaster is yet another example of the criminalisation of protest going on everywhere. ASBOs Harassment Injunctions and now even students are to be criminalised for walking into lecture theatres in their own university to make a little protest against warmongers.What next?

protestor


uni view

12.05.2005 15:06

The following is a response to a letter of complaint on this matter, whuich shows that the University has probably taken advice and is considering any form of action harrassment and intimidation...

Dear XXX

Thank you for your email of 11 May 2005 concerning the prosecution of protesters at the Corporate Venturing Conference, which the University hosted in September 2004. I am writing in response on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor.

The University is committed to freedom of speech. This means two things in particular for us: upholding the right of academics to research into issues which might be unpopular and to express their views on them without hindrance; and also the right of others to express their opinions in a peaceful manner. The University will not tolerate criminal activity on campus or harassment and intimidation of members of staff and, where evidence suggests this has happened, we will take action.

There is a difference between the civil offence of trespass and the criminal offence of Aggravated Trespass, which involves harassment or intimidation of people and deliberate intent to disrupt legitimate activities. The case to which you refer is about criminal activity, not about a legitimate demonstration.

Yours sincerely

University Secretary

(dictated by XXX and sent in her absence)

anarchoteapot


solidairty from Notts

12.05.2005 17:41

just to say I'll see if there's anything we can organise here in Nottingham. Things here are pretty bad with a university happy to involve itself with the worst ofthe world's corporate criminals. turning things around takes a long time and hard work from lots of people, but it can be done in the long run. good luck with things in your neck of the woods.

Pete


Education not Profit

13.05.2005 00:02

Solidarity from Sussex. Your struggles are ours!

Sussex Student


more solidarity

13.05.2005 12:35

Soliarity from Reading uni. Fucking heirarchies are more interested in helping their corporate paymasters than sticking up for their students. Fuck 'em.

- Jon.

Jon
- Homepage: http://www.readingantig8.co.nr


idealistic rubbish

14.05.2005 11:52

Business pays for universities, so it rightly expects them to do its bidding. Go to a country where business doesn't flourish as much as it does here and see how many universities there are - somewhere in Africa for example. It's thanks to capitalism that so many youngsters are at university in this country. Capitalism makes the money to build and staff them. If you are anti big business, you have to be hypocritical or possess the naive idealism of youth to enrol as a student at a state funded university.

mike


that is not the point

14.05.2005 16:26

The point is the university is trying to criminalise protest.

Universities should also not be trying to sell their research capabilities to the highest bidder - in this case companies like BAE Systems and Procter and Gamble.

Universities are funded through fees and taxes - not big businesses. They are getting greedy.

...


funding

15.05.2005 11:13

No business, no tax, no university.

mike


Buisness & Ethics aren't exclusive!

16.05.2005 12:43

Agreed business's helps fund universities but this doesn't mean that one ought to be happy with ANY buisness funding one's university. To protest against companies that can be shown to be 'unethical' is not naive idealism but reinstating what capitalism seems to think it has outgrown - ethics. Efficiency is never an excuse for immorality.

Andy


missed a bit...

29.05.2005 16:18

"No business, no tax, no university"

Wrong way round. No university, no students, no business, no tax.

toast


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