Weapons Firm Gave Advice to UK Universities on Countering Gaza Protests

British weapons manufacturer BAE Systems worked with UK universities to counter campus protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, according to emails and internal documents. 

An investigation by Liberty Investigates and Al Jazeera found 13 UK universities spoke with the firm about how to handle demonstrations. 

In 2024, the company appeared to have urged universities “to counteract an often skewed, but prominent narrative from protesters” about its partnership with higher education institutions, slides from a presentation show. 

Staff members from one top institution spoke with BAE before disciplining student activists. Another interacted with the company about an upcoming protest against the firm. 

BAE Systems supplies Israel with parts for F-35 fighter jets, which have played a key role in the Israeli military’s destruction of Gaza.

The 13 universities identified – including Manchester University, Nottingham University, Sheffield University, Southampton University, Birmingham University, Strathclyde and Cranfield – collectively receive as much as £15m via agreements for research funding with the arms manufacturer, according to the investigation. 

Meanwhile, BAE has active “strategic partnerships” with Manchester, Strathclyde, Cranfield, Nottingham and Southampton to work on research projects in areas like “AI, quantum mechanics, manufacturing, cyber and aerospace”. 

At Sheffield University, students protested an October 2024 online careers event featuring BAE. A university staff member then spoke with BAE before disciplining four people, according to the documents, which were obtained using freedom of information rules. 

The university insisted disciplinary procedures “are independent and not influenced by any external partnerships” and that it “consults all parties involved to ensure a fair process”.

In November 2025, a Southampton University staff member passed news of a planned protest to BAE. The university denied it had worked with BAE to come up with a counter-narrative to protesters’ criticisms of its links to the firm. 

Gina Romero, the UN special rapporteur for peaceful assembly and association, told Al Jazeera the findings represented a “troubling pattern” of institutions taking “operational cues and security strategies from weapons manufacturers to suppress their own students���.

In July, the UK government announced a new partnership between arms firms, including BAE, and several universities to support “vital research into new defence technologies”.

Several universities have clamped down hard on student activists over their support for Palestine. King’s College London, not named in this story, disciplined 26 students for pro-Palestine activism between October 2023 and November 2025, more than any UK institution. Egyptian student Usama Ghanem temporarily had his visa sponsorship withdrawn by the university, threatening his ability to remain in the UK.