Chains of Violence
Universities in the United Kingdom play a crutial role in the development of weapon systems in collaboration with military and survaillance actors who produce and commercialise lethality. Here we provide evidence on how each of the listed universities contribute to the genocide in Gaza. We also expose evidence on their role in supressing their own students, alumni and staff members.
University of Manchester has a long-term ongoing partnership with Thales. Thales is a supplier and co-manufacturer of Israeli weapons, including the Watchkeeper drone which has persistent presence over the skies of Gaza.
University of Manchester and Thales have produced together algorithms used in naval warship systems and radars some of which are in use by the IDF's Naval forces. The Sa'ar 4.5 which is likely to incorporate research from University of Manchester launched strikes on Gaza during the ongoing episode of the genocide.
Additionally, the university is one of the six strategic partner universities with BAE Systems; an arms manufacturer and supplier to the Israeli military. It also has significant ties to Israeli unversities: Tel Aviv University, and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Universty of Manchester also has partnerships with Airbus and Lockheed Martin.
The first exports cluster munitions to Israel, and the later is known for its F-35 jet extensively used to bomb Gaza during the current episode of genocide.
Meanwhile, the university has banned the use of words like 'intifada' and 'resistance' as part of its continuous attempts to vilify and demonise its own students who are protesting against its role in the ongoing genocide.
University of Leeds work closely with BAE Systems and Ansys.
BAE Systems is one of the world's largest arms dealers and a supplier of a wide variety of weapons including munitions,
armoured vehicles and combat aircraft to the Israeli military. Ansys provides technologies that are integrated in Israeli weapon systems. The company is a close collaborator with Israeli weapon manufacturers Elbit Systems and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. On December 2023, the University of Leeds has enrolled in a partnership with the Israeli university: Tel Hai College,
while Israel is actively targeting Palestinian education, destoying all universities in Gaza.
In addition, a Leeds University staff member have participated in the Israeli ongoing genocide in Gaza. On February 2024, the university chaplain Zecharia Deutsch (appearing in the background),
had been reinstated in his pastoral role after taking a leave to join the Israeli army in Gaza as a reservist.
As students protest against the university's active role in the genocide, the university's security team was protecting the university's complicity and deliberately left students subjected to violent and racist assaults.
Newcastle University have many research and financial partnerships with weapon suppliers and military agents supporting Israel. The list includes Leonardo S.p.A,
BAE Systems,
Thales, QiniteQ and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD),
The university invests in various companies that supplies the Israeli military and Israeli weapon manufacturers
(such as Elbit Systems and Rafael) with components integrated in their weapon systems. The university invited the Israeli arms manufacturer Rafael (Pearson Engineering) on its campus during the Israeli genocide in Gaza to exhibit jobs.
Students at Newcastle University are funneled to spend their lifetime in lethal careers.
Students who protested against the university's role in facilitating war crimes were subjected to a university-authorised police brutality. On 29th May 2024, many students left the campus with bruises and injuries, and some were admitted to hospital. Additionally, the university has given disciplinaries to students protesting against it's violence, and most recently changed the student charter in an attempt to make protests illegal on campus. This coincides with the deputy-vice-chancellor's declaration that Newcastle University is not a pacifist university, and that it will not call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
University of Liverpool has many partnerships with weapon producers that supply the Israeli military, including:
Leonardo, Raytheon, QinetiQ, Thales, MBDA, Collins Aerospace, Ultra, Airbus, Aircraft Research Association, Rolls-Royce. The university is an active player in the development of cyber weapons
through its partnership with the Defence Science and Technology Lab (Dstl).
It also partners with BAE Systems
to develop autonomous systems and virtual engineering for military use.
BAE Systems has at least 9 military goods export licenses to Israel.
University of Liverpool funnels its students to work for Rolls Royce
which supplies the Israeli Merkava tank with its MT833 engine.
The university is also a partner in the Defence Data Research Centre,
which focuses on the use of data for military purposes.
University of Liverpool authorised police brutality against its own students
who were protesting against its complicity in the genocide.
Northumbria University co-invests in a £50 million partnership with Lockheed Martin,
the world's largest weapons producer and the manufacturer of F-35 jets extensively used in the continuous Israeli massacres in Gaza.
Lockheed Martin is expected open it's research facility on Northumbria University campus by 2025. The university also partners with Telespazio (A Leonardo and Thales company). Both Leonardo and Thales have supplied the Israeli military with various sorts of techologies integrated in the IDF's weapon systems.
Students at Northumbria University are funneled to work for the Royal Air Force an active participant in the Israeli genocide in Gaza through survaillance, transportation of weapons and military troops. The university also provides the UK Armed Forces with special access to it's engineering programs.
Northumria University states on its official website that it prevents criticism of the Israeli state, and considers that as antisemitism. Students and staff at Northumbria University have reported to us on the consistent intimidation and silencing from the university management to any activity against the genocide in Gaza.
Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) has various partnerships with BAE Systems, QinetiQ, UK Ministry of Defence.
BAE Systems supplies the Israeli military with a
wide variety of weapons, including components for combat
aircraft, munitions, missile launching kits, and armored vehicles.
QMUL works along arms manufacturers (with military goods export licenses to Israel) such as Leonardo, BAE Systems, MDBA Missile Systems and QinetiQ in military projects.
QMUL is part of the UK Ministry of Defence's Team hypersonic which seeks to develop a hypersonic missile.
It also has partnerships with Israeli universities: Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The university took costly legal proceedings against its own students whom are demanding the university to cut its connections with war crimes.
On November 2023, while the Israeli military were undertaking a most intense level of airstrikes with declared intentions of anhillating and replacing the population of Gaza, the University of Portsmouth shared on its official website an article by one of its faculty members adopting the standpoint of the Israeli Defense Forces, describing the continious massacres as "successes [...] in the elimination of terrorist[s]".
The University of Portsmouth is actively engaged in military training.
It boasts about delivering professional military education,
and considers the provision military training as one of the key areas of expertise of the university.
This includes the training for the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal Navy, and the UK Army.
University of Portsmouth's staff are deployed in RAF air bases. RAF have been consistently assisting the Israeli military through continious surveillance on Gaza, and through transporting arms and UK military troops to Israel from it's Akrotiri air base in Cyprus.
The University of Portsmouth also have a partnership with the military contractor BAE Systems aiming to 'provide militaries with real-time intelligence'.
BAE Systems supplies the Israeli military with a
wide variety of weapons, including components for combat
aircraft, munitions, missile launching kits, and armored vehicles.
Moreover, the university has research collaborations with Defence Science and Technology Lab (Dstl).
Dstl regulates partnerships between military companies (most of which are suppliers to the Israeli military) and UK universities.
Manchester Metropolitan University has research partnerships with various arms producers and dealers, including: Airbus, Safran, Rolls-Royce, Thales, Babcock, Lockheed Martin, MBDA and BAE Systems. All of those companies have military goods export licenses to Israel, and make a significant contribution to the development of weapon systems in possession of the Israeli military. Students of Manchester Metropolitan University are funneled to work in lethal careers with BAE systems, Thales DSTL and Lockheed Martin through degree apprenticeships. Through such programmes, student tuition fees directly funds those companies whom are amongst the biggest suppliers of weapons to Israel. The university, also, invests in Barclays Bank, which invests in Israeli weapon manufacturers such as Elbit Systems.
Coventry University has research partnerships with BAE Systems and is associated with many other companies that provide weapons to the Israeli army. This includes Rolls Royce, Airbus Defense, and MBDA. It collaborates with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in the development of unmanned armoured ground vehicles and has contracts with the UK Defence and Security Accelerator. The university has a covenant with the UK armed forces; it signed a commitment to support the armed forces through its educational programmes. Coventry University provides courses that are aligned with the military-industrial agenda. Students of Coventry University are funneled to work for suppliers to the Israeli military such as Airbus, BAE Systems, GE Aviation and Rolls Royce. Coventry University’s Technology Park have previously hosted Lockheed Martin, the world largest arms manufacturer, and the main producer of the F-35 jet intensively used by the Israeli forces to erase Gaza.
Nottingham University has
industrial partnerships with Airbus, BAE Systems, GE Aviation, and Leonardo, all of which provide weapons to the Israeli military.
The university violates its own ethical policy by accepting investments from Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems.
Both companies are responsible for supplying arms, engines and components to the Israeli military.
This includes providing parts for the F-15 and F-35 Fighter Jets used to carry out war crimes on innocent people in Gaza.
The university is also a partner with Altair Engineering. Altair operates in Israeli military sector, and is responsible for software used in military aircrafts and vehicles manufactured by Lockheed Martin, Rolls Royce and Leonardo amongs other weapon suppliers to Israel. Additionally, UoN hosts Omnifactory, a company led by UoN faculty that develops military products with BAE Systems and others.
The university also invites arms dealers like General Dynamics - an arms manufacturer and supplier to the Israeli military - to exhibit in student recruitment fairs.
In response to students protests against its complicity in war crimes, the University of Nottingham payed bailiffs to brutally drag its student protestors out of a peaceful sit-in against its complicity in Israeli war crimes. Alumni of University of Nottingham and their children were murdered in Gaza through the university's role in facilitating the genocide.
After which it also refused to issue obituary notices for them in breach of its tradition, as part of a series of measures to protect the Zionist entity. UoN was also the first university in the UK that takes its own protesting students to court.
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