Next meeting: Wed, November 16th, 6pm, Linacre College

Come along to find out more about the issue, what needs be done, and how you can play a part!

The Facts

The investments of the University of Oxford, its colleges, and their respective Common Rooms, are to varying degrees tied up with investments in the arms trade.

Such investments are not made directly to individual companies but rather through funds, which then spread investments from many different institutions across many different companies.

In so doing, the University invested on average £4.5m a year between 2008 and 2010 in UK and US-based arms of manufacturers.

£1.4 million have gone to arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which makes the Hellfire missile and cluster bombs, which are illegal under UK law.

Oxford has yet to divest.

Sources:
http://oxfordstudent.com/2011/06/09/oxford-urged-to-say-farewell-to-arms/
http://www.cherwell.org/news/2009/02/19/protest-against-uni-war-crimes-

A Brief History of the Divestment Movement at Oxford

• 2001 – The Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Committee launches the ‘Not in Our Name’ campaign.
• 2002 – Student SRI Campaigners take a paper to University Council to call for an SRI Policy. A weak policy to pursue values of Corporate Social Responsibility (the Good Corporation Charter) is adopted.
• 2005, November – Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) release figures showing Oxford to be one of the worst University Investors in the Arms Trade. Over 5,000 members of Oxford University sign a petition for SRI.
• 2005, November 9 – Oxford students take to the streets for a ‘Magical Mystery Walking Tour’ of the top offenders – starting at St John’s College (Over £1,891,191 in Arms), and moving on past Balliol (£592,532) and St Edmunds Hall (£627,243). The tour also makes stops along the way at colleges that refuse to reveal their investments to call for transparency.
• 2006, January – OUSU submits a comprehensive report to the University Council outlining the inadequacy of the current policy, and constructive steps forward. At the last minute, the paper is delayed till April.
• 2006, April – OUSU’s paper is considered by the University Council as an Annexe to a report rejecting it, drafted by a secret working party convened without any student representation. Council rejects OUSU’s paper, conceding only that University Investment Committee should start reporting to Council on its implementation of the weak existing policy.
• 2009 – Students marched through Oxford city centre wearing sub fuscs and voicing their anger over the university’s investments in BAE Systems.
• 2010, May 13 – The SRI defends its recommendation to continue investing in arms companies whose products are not considered to be in violation of UK and UN protocols, citing such practice as adherence to “national policy”.
• 2010, May 26 – An expert panel is convened which tackles questions of why the university should divest from the arms trade. ‘What would the effects be? What are the facts? What are our alternatives?’ Speakers were Dr Swee Ang (Conflict-zone surgeon and founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians), Alun Morinan (Campaign Against the Arms Trade), and Josh Brewer (EIRIS- Experts in Responsible Investment Solutions).
• 2011, June – The Lancet publishes an article co-written by students, graduates, and lecturers calling for an end to the University of Oxford’s investments in arms companies.
• 2011, November – Students based at Linacre College take up the movement. And the struggle continues …

Also check out Oxford Anti-war Action’s blog post on the history of the campaign.

Sources:

http://www.timdavies.org.uk/srioxford/home.asp.html

http://www.cherwell.org/news/2009/02/19/protest-against-uni-war-crimes-

http://oxfordstudent.com/tag/arms-investment/

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/11/327616.html

http://groupspaces.com/ouppesoc/item/65118

http://www.researchresearch.com/index.php?option=com_news&template=rr_2col&view=article&articleId=1065488

http://oxfordstudent.com/2011/06/09/oxford-urged-to-say-farewell-to-arms/