AhlulBayt News Agency: Leaked emails have revealed that UK universities monitored students’ social media and chat groups at the request of arms manufacturers supplying weapons to Israel.
According to internal communications obtained by The Guardian and Liberty Investigates, several universities assured these companies they would track students’ online activity to identify and prevent potential protests.
Over the past two years, UK campuses have witnessed widespread pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with students demanding an end to arms sales to the Israeli regime.
In one instance, a university responded to a weapons manufacturer’s “security questionnaire” by pledging to conduct “active monitoring of social media” to detect any planned protests against Rolls-Royce during a careers fair.
Rolls-Royce, the UK’s second-largest arms producer, supplies critical components for Israeli military vehicles. Its German subsidiary, MTU, manufactures engines used in Israeli tanks, armored vehicles, and warships.
Loughborough University informed a recruitment firm organizing a “Rolls-Royce roadshow” that its security team was actively monitoring social media to gather early intelligence on possible protests.
Emails from Heriot-Watt University indicate that Raytheon UK requested the university to monitor student chat groups ahead of a careers fair — a request the university agreed to implement.
Similarly, Glasgow and Cardiff universities came under pressure from major aerospace firms — BAE Systems and Leonardo — to monitor online activity before career events. Some events were moved online after protest threats were identified.
The UK also supplies BAE-made components to the international fleet of F-35 fighter jets, which Israel has access to. Data shows Israel’s arms imports from the UK have reached record levels this year.
The surveillance of student social media has sparked outrage among rights groups, who argue that universities should protect peaceful protest rather than suppress it.
Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, condemned the universities’ actions as “utterly shameful,” stating that many institutions have used resources to surveil students protesting against genocide.
Liberty Investigates found that one in four UK universities — 37 out of 154 — launched disciplinary investigations into pro-Gaza student and staff activists between October 2023 and March 2025, affecting up to 200 individuals.
The UK maintains strong political and military ties with Israel, including arms deals, intelligence cooperation, and joint military programs.
British arms firms continue to supply key components for Israeli military vehicles, aircraft, and naval systems — a relationship that human rights organizations say implicates the UK in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.
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