Edinburgh University to spy on activists’ social media following People and Planet protests

Leaked information from a financial managers’ meeting has revealed plans to halt protests against millions of pounds worth of fossil fuels and arms investments at the university.

The plan suggests that managers and security should be both keeping up with and keeping tabs on the social media sites of student activists. Recently, the university has called disciplinary hearings against six students following protests.

the protesters in action

Students have expressed disgust at the treatment of these activists, condemning the university for valuing its unethical investments over the wellbeing of its students.

People and Planet campaign organiser Kirsty Haigh told Common Space: “It’s pretty shameful that the university value their relationship with fossil fuel companies more than with their own students. The university keeps talking about being sustainable but the efforts they’ve gone to so they can avoid divesting from fossil fuels and arms companies clearly show a different story.”

Another student protestor, Delphi Macpherson, added: “Instead of spending obscene amounts of money on security systems and social media monitoring, why don’t the university just divest the less than 1 per cent of their portfolio they have invested in fossil fuels?”

The question is, who will be the next victim of the University’s dystopian measures?