Student activists from Sheffield Action Group have occupied the Arts Tower to protest the university’s link with companies involved in the arms trade.
On Thursday, a group of students took over the UK’s tallest education building in protest of the University of Sheffield partnerships and receival of large funding from ‘arms companies’ such as BAE Systems.
A spokesperson from Sheffield Action Group said: “We want the university to start thinking with compassion and not with money.”
He said: “There is always an opportunity in life to do the right thing. Not the right thing for a business… but what is right in terms of what is morally right.”
Sheffield Action Group say between 2012 and 2022, the University of Sheffield received a total of £72 million pounds in research funding from the military-industrial complex.
The group has called on the University to cut its ties with companies involved including BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, Boeing, Airbus, GKN, Qinetiq, and General Electric Aviation.
The protestor told us the occupation was to cause disruption to the university administrative teams which are “responsible for enabling the university’s links to the arms trade”.
He said: “In terms of student disruption lots of people’s things have just been moved online but they’re still getting their lectures or they’ve been moved to different buildings,
“So nobody’s missing education. The only thing that’s seriously disrupted is the University’s HR department.”
Adding: “We also understand that our tactics aren’t for everyone.”
When asked how long the occupation will last, the spokesperson said: “Our intention was to make ourselves heard, and we’ve achieved that.
“Whether we will need to continue throughout the weekend and through to next week is up for discussion, but at the moment it’s not looking likely that we will be disrupting lectures into next week.”
A spokesperson from the University of Sheffield said the university, like many others, undertakes research with a wide range of manufacturing and engineering companies in sectors including energy and aerospace.
They said: “Our connections with industrial partners mean we can help to influence positive change and accelerate more sustainable manufacturing processes.”
They also added that the “university’s priority” is to minimise disruption for students and staff.
They said: “We ask students to check their timetable regularly about any potential venue changes.”
The occupation comes after numerous other protests from the group, such as the occupation of the Diamond last year.