Defence companies will no longer attend University of Sheffield events after ‘woke’ protests

A handful of companies are avoiding UK universities due to the concerns

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Defence companies have reportedly decided to withdraw from attending careers fairs at the University of Sheffield following protests by student activists.

It is understood that these firms have pulled out of similar events at universities across the UK due to security concerns. Around a dozen universities are believed to be affected, with Sheffield being among those mentioned.

According to The Times, some also say they have withdrawn from events nationwide due to advice from various universities’ security.

This comes as the Ministry of Defence is reported to have made a list of British universities where companies were scheduled to attend events but cancelled them due to advice or their own concerns.

Sheffield is listed among the universities no longer hosting defence companies, alongside Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff, and Warwick.

An industry source accused the UK-wide protests of creating a “quite literally hostile environment”, noting that preventing their access to university careers fairs is denying young people jobs.

Additionally, companies have blamed their decline in recruitment numbers on the student backlash.

Kevin Craven, chief executive of the ADS group, which represents aerospace and security companies, said students’ “woke approach” has resulted in the companies cancelling due to security fears. He called the protests “unhelpful” and suggested through preventing successful recruitment, the actions of the protestors will eventually “benefit foreign defence companies”.

At a careers fair at the Octagon last semester, protestors attempted to block students accessing the building, and clashed with security staff.

Defence firms claim that hostility toward them has intensified since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza conflict in October 2023.

The CEO of Leonardo, Roberto Cingolani, accused university students of having “biased points of view”, saying that peace “does not happen automatically”.

A spokesperson from the University of Sheffield told The Sheffield Tab: “The university is committed to providing students with opportunities to research and meet a wide range of organisations offering placements and graduate jobs at our careers fairs, so they can make their own informed decisions about their future careers.

“While we support freedom of speech and peaceful protest, we do not condone any actions that disrupt events or intimidate students, staff, or visitors. We sometimes inform exhibitors out of courtesy of any expected protests, however the decision for any company to attend or withdraw is ultimately theirs.”

Featured image via Google Maps.