On 11th July students at the University of Melbourne took direct action to protest the universities collaboration with Lockheed Martin, the world's biggest arms company. The University has recently partnered with Lockheed on the STELaR laboratory.
In protest at the collaboration, students from the DisarmUnis and Lockout Lockheed groups locked-on to concrete barrels surrounding the universities administrative building. When staff attempted to make use of another building, students blockaded that one too. The campaign is demanding the university ends all ties with Lockheed Martin, and to reveal all of it's agreements with the company. Following the action, representatives from the university agreed to meet with the students to discuss their concerns.
Submitted by antimili-youth on Sun, 15/04/2018 - 16:38
Britain’s universities are taking tens of millions of pounds from some of the world’s biggest defence contractors to help develop the next generation of military hardware. The close relationship between academia and the defence sector is credited with helping sustain tens of thousands of jobs in the UK but it is causing unease among some scientists, even as other sources of funding for universities dry up.
In the past three years alone, 15 universities with renowned engineering departments have received almost £40m in grants from the contractors, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act. Many of the companies distributing the grants are involved in both civilian and military aerospace sectors and their work has led to spin-offs that benefit the wider public.
Submitted by antimili-youth on Mon, 09/10/2017 - 11:31
At 4pm on Friday 6th October, Marvel Comics tweeted that they were to "join forces" with Northrop Grumman, the world's fifth biggest arms manufacturer.
Submitted by antimili-youth on Fri, 22/09/2017 - 14:19
This November, activists from all around the world are taking action against the militarisation of young people in their countries, cities and towns.
Join us in this week with your own nonviolent actions, and be part of this global movement resisting the recruitment of young people's minds and bodies into violence.
The International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth is a concerted effort of antimilitarist actions across the world to raise awareness of the many ways in which violence is promoted to young people, and to give voice to alternatives. The week is coordinated by War Resisters' International.
Submitted by antimili-youth on Wed, 19/04/2017 - 15:20
As part of the Global Day of Action on Military Spending, Hamushim activists from Israel delivered hundreds of protest letters to the Technion, a public research university based in Haifa and Tel Aviv, calling on the university authorities to stop their course on arms trade, “Defense Strategy for International Markets”.
The Technion, Israel's leading academic institution, now offers this course for arms exporters and executives in the defense industry. It's designed to upgrade their knowledge and expertise specifically regarding the international arms trade, and to teach them how to form a strategy for arms exports for international markets. After demonstrating at the Tel Aviv campus where the course takes place, activists delivered protest letters signed by hundreds to the Technion on Monday this week.
Submitted by antimili-youth on Thu, 02/03/2017 - 15:34
Rifles and submachine guns assembled in the UK could be exported for use in conflicts involving child soldiers, according to a report by European children’s charities.
The report accuses Heckler & Koch (H&K) – a German company that is among the world’s largest producers of small arms – of sidestepping obstacles to exports at home by using its subsidiary in the UK, where a “lack of transparency” has frustrated attempts to scrutinise arms deals.
Submitted by antimili-youth on Thu, 23/02/2017 - 19:03
A new report by the German Alliance for Child Soldiers and other non-profits found that there are currently around 250,000 child soldiers in at least 20 conflict-ridden countries who are forced to spy, fight, carry supplies and even be sex slaves. And often German arms end up in these child soldiers’ hands.
“The study proves that Germany delivers small weapons of the deadliest kind to many conflict regions - also those where child soldiers are deployed, for example in the Middle East, India, Pakistan or the Philippines,” said Ralf Willinger, children’s rights expert and spokesman for the child soldiers alliance, in a statement.
“Germany is thus jointly responsible for the escalation of armed conflicts and the suffering of children in these countries.”
Submitted by antimili-youth on Tue, 01/11/2016 - 10:46
Activists in South Korea organised a direct action against the arms expo "DX Korea" sponsored by the Republic of Korea Army(ROKA).
DX Korea, organised for the second time this year, is similar to "Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (Seoul ADEX)" but smaller in size. The Expo included an academic seminar as well as demonstration of actual military equipment that ROKA mainly used.
South Korea: Activists Protesting Against Arms Expo
Last week, the University of Southampton joined the growing list of Universities who have decided to take a stance against investments in the arms trade. In this article Sebastian, Odell of Southampton University explains what’s happened and how students forced the university into taking action.
Last week two of the world’s largest arms companies gave a talk at the University of Liverpool.
About 50% of Thales’s business is in arms, including mortar systems, rocket systems for helicopters, precision-guided munitions, military vehicles, missiles, and small arms and ammunition. They sells arms to many oppressive regimes, including Bahrain, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and UAE, and collaborate with Israeli arms company Elbit to develop drones.
Rolls-Royce manufacture 25% of all military jet engines globally, that are used by 160 different armed forces, in 103 different countries. They also manufacture nuclear reactors for Trident submarines. Their arms customers include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey
WRI's new booklet, Countering Military Recruitment: Learning the lessons of counter-recruitment campaigns internationally, is out now. The booklet includes examples of campaigning against youth militarisation across different countries with the contribution of grassroot activists.