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UWE students try to halt campus arms fair

University's vice-chancellor Steve West accused of threatening protesters at the fair

Students lobbied their university yesterday to put a stop to a campus arms fair.

Peace activists at University of the West of England (UWE) released an open letter condemning it for continuously ignoring their calls to launch an investigation into the Defence Procurement, Research, Technology & Exportability (DPRTE) event.

“We are very concerned that UWE ever felt that the arms trade has any place on its campus,” said Campaign Against Arms Trade university coordinator Holly-Rae Smith.

UWE vice-chancellor Steve West has been accused of threatening protesters at the fair.

Pictures are said to have been taken of demonstrators and others without their consent.

Ms Smith believes management is preventing progressive social change by welcoming arms traders on campus.

“The allegations of repression and intimidation are very serious and are totally at odds with what you would expect from a respected university like UWE,” she added.

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