Britain

Fri
20
Mar
2015
New translation available
Submitted by antimili-youth

By Tracy Walker, Nottingham Post

Nottingham city centre stood to attention when shoppers were given an insight into life in the Armed forces.

Regular Army and Army reserve units from across the Midlands hosted a recruitment...

Thu
26
May

Subvertising: Don't Join the Army!

A very clever subversion of a recent British Army advert (which used 'reverse psychology' by telling people 'Don't join the Army. Don't become a better you. Don't improve your fitness.')

Unfortunately, they forgot to buy the domain name :)

http://dontjointhearmy.co.uk/

Thu
26
May

University of Southampton ends its investment in arms companies

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.

Fri
06
May

Soldiers at 16: Sifting fact from fiction

Fewer than 20 countries worldwide still allow their armed forces to recruit young people from age 16. The UK is among them; it is the only major military power and the only European state to recruit from such a young age.

Across British society – from children’s organisations to veterans to parliamentary committees – this policy is now being challenged. Most of the public agree that change is due – only one in seven thinks that 16 is an acceptable age to train as a soldier.

Despite this widespread unease, a number of common misconceptions still lead many 16 and 17 year olds to leave their education early and enlist. Here, we examine these ‘myths’ in light of the evidence available (click the link below to see the full report).

Thu
21
Apr

Sierra Leone 'Helped Deploy Ex-Child Soldiers to Iraq', Academic Says

London — Sierra Leone's government helped British private security service firms recruit former child soldiers to work as guards in Iraq from 2009, said a Danish academic who has spent years investigating the issue.

Thousands of children were forced to fight in Sierra Leone's 11-year civil war, which ended in 2002. More than 50,000 people were killed in the fighting and many tens of thousands more mutilated or raped by rebels.

By 2009, with Iraq in chaos, impoverished Sierra Leone was looking for a way to engage its workforce, said Maya Mynster Christensen, a researcher at the Danish Institute Against Torture who made repeated trips to the West African country.

Tue
19
Apr

UK firm 'employed former child soldiers' as mercenaries in Iraq

By Alice Ross, The Guardian

A former senior director at a British firm says that it employed mercenaries from Sierra Leone to work in Iraq because they were cheaper than Europeans and did not check if they were former child soldiers.

Tue
05
Apr

Military industrial complex: British Army teams up with big business to swell ranks

Russia Today

With recruitment in crisis, the British Army is teaming up with private firms to encourage their workers to join the Armed Forces’ “woefully undermanned” reserves.

The army now has a group of officers at its Hampshire HQ who are dedicated “accounts managers,” building relationships between business and the military, according to reports.

The initiative is led by reservist Major General John Crackett. He told the Financial Times on Tuesday his corporate background has prepared him for the role.

I’m a businessman more than I’m an army officer,” he said, claiming he is well placed to interpret what businesses want.

He said the military must get better at marketing itself by focusing on what it could offer employers.

Wed
23
Mar

Military propaganda on children's radio

Last year, British children's radio station Fun Kids Radio broadcast a series called 'Life in the Armed Forces', which is little more than military propaganda. This is the first video in the series. They have 350,000 listeners in the UK.

Military propaganda on children's radio
Mon
21
Mar

Liverpool students take on arms companies

by Rachel Melly

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

Thu
11
Feb

Warwick Students shut down a BAE Systems recruitment event

BAE Systems, a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company, tried to hold a recruitment event at the University of Warwick at the end of November, but students were not happy that their university was playing host to such an unethical company. After less than half an hour of protest, with a banner and chanting, the recruiters from BAE Systems packed up and the event was called off.

Students, including from Warwick for Free Education and Fossil Free Warwick, announced that they would disrupt the event. They spoke about the immoral and corrupt business dealings of the company. The protesters believe that arms companies should not have a relationship with the University of Warwick and should not be allowed to buy the right to recruit on their campus.

BAE representatives pack up their equipment after it is made clear that no students are going to listen to their presentation.

Fri
18
Dec

British Army urged to stop using armed teenagers to guard barracks

By Shiv Malik, The Guardian

ForcesWatch report calls on UK military to stop recruiting minors altogether, as armed forces bill due for third reading

Britain’s military should stop using armed under-18s to guard soldiers’ barracks, a report into Ministry of Defence recruitment practices is set to say.

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