1) ‘Spend on welfare and education, stop fuelling the business of death’. Joint action of UWE students, Bristol Against the Arms Trade and the Campaign Against the Arms Trade student network (nation’s action), part of the Global Day of Action Against Military Spending (#gdams #demilitarise)

2) ‘A university that represses its students is not a university anymore’. In solidarity with politically active students repressed around the country (#copsoffcampus), calling for calling for an independent review of the repression against 20 November 2013 ‘UWE arms fair’ student protests.

On 20 November 2013, UWE students “staged an ‘impeccable’ protest”1 against DPRTE, the military business and arms fair held at UWE in 2012 and 2013. Despite widespread hostility as well as systematic silencing, manipulation, repression and criminalisation, sometimes extending to threatened and actual violence from DPRTE participants, university security and the police, humble yet determined protests proved sufficient to see off the biggest military business and arms fair in the South West2. Early today, campaigning students released an open letter to UWE’s Board of Governors demanding an transparent, comprehensive and independent review into the university, following the repression against their peaceful protests, including direct efforts of UWE VC and the university’s Head of Security to intimidate and criminalise peaceful protesters. Campaigning UWE students also confirmed that activists and supporters will gather at UWE Bristol on 14 April 2014 for a national action called for by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade in solidarity with repressed UWE students, to denounce UWE’s collusion with the military and as part of the Global Day of Action Against Military Spending.