Voting has concluded with the Students’ Union (SU) referendum on the demilitarisation of the University of Leicester, with students backing the ‘Yes’ campaign by a significant margin, in the hope of pressuring the University to cut ties with arms and weapons related companies. The vote followed a campus-wide referendum this past week.
The referendum asked students whether the Students’ Union should lobby for the demilitarisation of the University of Leicester, including opposing partnerships with companies involved in military production and restricting their presence at careers events.
The referendum presented students with arguments which took the form of ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ campaigns ahead of voting opening on January 27th. In the final count released by the Students’ Union, 87% of students who voted supported the motion, giving the SU a clear mandate to work towards removing arms-linked companies’ involvement with the University.
What happens now?
Following the announcement of the result, the SU confirmed it will refuse to work with the University’s careers department to promote arms companies and will take a more active role in lobbying with them and senior management through regular meetings in pursuit of this goal.
Students behind the ‘Yes’ campaign described the outcome as a “monumental victory” for students opposing “western imperialism” within higher education. Campaigners argue that universities play a central role in supplying labour and research to the arms industry, creating what they describe as a “direct pipeline between the lecture hall and genocide”
This assessment draws on publicly reported information about these companies’ involvement in international defence supply chains, some of which are linked to countries currently engaged in armed conflict, including Israel, Russia and the UAE.
University Partnerships:
During the campaign, supporters of the motion highlighted the University’s partnerships with major defence and aerospace firms, including Thales, Airbus, Leonardo, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce to name a few. Campaigners argue the University has received millions of pounds in research funding connected to these companies, some of which they say has direct application in arms manufacture.
They have called for these companies to be excluded from campus recruitment and for existing research relationships to be reviewed.
The University of Leicester did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Comment from ‘Demilitarise Education’
Reacting to the result, Jinsella, co-founder and executive director of Demilitarise Education, a group campaigning against arms trade in higher education, said the vote reflected a growing national shift in how students and staff expect universities to operate.
“University of Leicester’s students have delivered a clear mandate: our education should serve life, not war,” she said. “Across the country, students and staff are increasingly passing demilitarisation motions, demonstrating a wider shift in how communities expect universities to operate.”
She emphasised that partnerships with arms companies extend beyond financial considerations.
“When universities partner with arms companies, they don’t just take money; they help legitimise and strengthen the systems that perpetuate violent conflict,” she said. “Universities exist for the public good, and that duty requires choosing partnerships that build the conditions for peace.”
Demilitarise Education welcomed the result and urged the University to “take meaningful steps to demilitarise by ending the promotion of arms companies on campus and setting a clear path to exit arms-linked relationships and investments”. She added that the organisation was ready to support both the Students’ Union and the University in implementing the mandate.
Opposition Concerns:
Students in opposition to the motion had warned that this campaign could harm student career prospects, particularly for those studying engineering and STEM subjects. The ‘No’ campaign argued that defence-linked companies provide graduate jobs, placements and research funding, and instead proposed the creation of an ethics committee to oversee University partnerships.
One engineering student commented:
“I believe that the Students’ union has poorly organised this [referendum] because it is such an important decision for students. Students should have the option to work wherever they want because at the end of the day we are all here in the hope of getting a job”
Other concerns come internally as sources within the SU commented:
“Even if the referendum goes well, I think that the SU will likely ignore it anyway because it will need to pass through Nishan and he isn’t likely to go along with it”
Limitations of the mandate
While the referendum results give the Students’ Union a clear mandate, the policy is not binding on the University itself. Any changes to research partnerships or careers provision would require agreement from senior management.
The Students’ Union has said it will publish further details on how it intends to implement the policy in the coming weeks.