>> Campaigning to end college arms investments

Cambridge Students Against the Arms Trade was formed in October 2005 following the release of a report detailing the investments that various local institutions (including the County Council and many parts of Cambridge University) have in major arms companies. We are affiliated to, but not governed by, the national Campaign Against the Arms Trade.

We are a grassroots organisation consisting of students who are opposed to the arms trade in its current form. We seek to confront those who support it financially – especially when those bodies are supposed to be operating "in the public interest" – and support efforts to further legislate the sector and call for the government to fully enforce current arms trade regulations.

Our goal:

Our immediate aim is for colleges to adopt ethical investment policies, specifically excluding arms companies. The broader long-term aims of the campaign against the arms trade are:

1) To end governments subsidies and support for arms exports

2) For the UK government to stamp out the endemic corruption in the arms industry

3) To end exports to oppressive regimes

4) To end exports to countries whose social welfare is threatened by military spending

5) To end exports to countries involved in armed conflict or to regions of tension

How to get involved:

CSAAT holds regular meetings, to which all are welcome. We run them in a non-hierarchical manner i.e. each person has an equal voice, and use consensus-decision-making as much as we can. (more info on this)

Our next meeting: TBC

You can also join our announcement mailing-list (low traffic): http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/cambridge-arms-announce

Getting college bursars to implement ethical investment policies is best done by campaigning in individual colleges.

What to do:

·   check what shares your college holds in arms companies (here)

·   email your bursar to alert him or her about this and seek out his opinion on ethical investment (see link for sample letter below)

·   contact your college Green Officer

·   draft a motion to propose to your college union (see links for sample motions below)

·   hold a stall in your college or even an event on the theme of ‘drop beats not bombs’

Material:

Here are some files that you may find useful in campaigning for Ethical Investments:

EI campaigning motion (passed at CUSU Open Meeting Easter 2006) doc / txt

EI motion (passed at Pembroke JPC in Easter 2006) doc /txt

Shareholdings for each college doc

Sample letter for college bursars doc / txt

Article for Pembroke Street txt

Article for YEAST (Serbian Youth Magazine) txt

Flyer for our fundraiser (April 2006) jpg

Flyer for public meeting (January 2006) gif

Poster advertising CUSU Open Meeting (Easter 2006) pdf

Our university-wide petition doc

A sample college-based petition doc

Alternative Rolls Royce info flyer doc

 

This campaign is supported by CUSU, CU Labour Club, People & Planet Cambridge.