Pro-Palestine protesters target Amazon stand at Edinburgh Uni careers fair

The disruption led to the Amazon representatives leaving the event early

3 weeks ago

Pro-Palestinian supporters were seen shutting down Amazon’s stall at the Careers Fair in McEwan Hall yesterday.

Protesters could be seen holding Palestine flags and filmed a speech in front of the stand calling for students to “resist Amazon being in our university”.

The protest led to the Amazon representatives leaving the event early.

In its statement, Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society (EUJPS), who planned the event, commented on Amazon’s alleged role in the conflict through “Project Nimbus”, a contract signed by Amazon to help to build and provide AI and cloud software to the Israeli government and military.

In response to the protest, a university spokesperson said: “Our Careers Service offers impartial support to students, helping them make informed choices about their future. As part of this, it provides information and access to a range of industries and professional networks.

“Whilst the escalating violence in the Middle East is extremely distressing, and we understand the strength of feeling and respect the right to protest, this does not confer the right for students to disrupt an event supporting the future career development of their peers, and we are disappointed that these actions prevented others from fully engaging with the programme. A number of our students have complained to us that this was the case.”

They go on to say that measures may be taken against the protesters, saying “disciplinary action may be taken should anyone breach our student code of conduct”.

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EUJPS has organised regular protest action since the escalation of violence in Gaza on October 7th, 2023, including weekly protests in front of the main library, sit-ins and occupations of university buildings and an encampment in the historic Old College Quad, within which a number of protesters decided to take part in a hunger strike.

Their protests focused on calls for divestment and distancing from companies that directly or indirectly provide funding to Israel.

Before May 2024, the university had invested 4.9 million pounds into Amazon, since then it has frozen all new purchases of Amazon stock.

In May 2024, the university commissioned a “short life working group” as well as a survey open to all students and staff to review their approach to responsible investment.

The university’s legal body, Court, met to review the outcome of the working group, however a decision on divestment was delayed until the next meeting, scheduled for October 7th.

The survey closed on August 30th, with the results yet to be published.

The full statement from EUJPS can be found here.

Amazon has been approached for comment.