Protestors disrupted an Aberystwyth University workshop last week hosting Israel-linked speakers.

Protestors stood outside AberInnovation building on Gogerddan Campus on 21 June speaking with attendees of the National Spectrum Centre event.

The event hosted a senior fellow for security and defence contractor QinetiQ, who operate the Ministry of Defence site in Aberporth.

QinetiQ is a named partner in developing the Watchkeeper Drone in collaboration with Israeli Elbit Systems.

According to the Campaign Against the Arms Trade research, QinetiQ also holds licences to export military goods to Israel.

QinetiQ is an ‘instrumental partner’ in shaping the university’s National Spectrum Centre (NSC), an innovation and research facility working on wireless technologies in partnership with the Welsh Government and other private technology companies.

The National Spectrum is one of the key projects being backed by the £110 Mid Wales Growth scheme.

The protest group shouted ‘AU - shame on you’, ‘QinetiQ - blood on your hands’ and ‘your profits are covered in Palestinian blood’ to disrupt the daylong workshop.

The protestors waved Palestine flags outside the workshop and held banners which said 'Welsh Gov and QinetiQ - blood on their hands' and 'no genocide in our names'
The protestors waved Palestine flags outside the workshop and held banners which said 'Welsh Gov and QinetiQ - blood on their hands' and 'no genocide in our names' (Submitted)

Protestors claimed many attending the workshop were unaware of QinetiQ’s links to Israel, amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

A student protestor said: “We are here to protest against QinetiQ, through whom the UK and Wales are directly related to the genocide and ongoing oppression in Palestine.

“We are protesting against our university inviting such arms tech companies to influence the education of our young people.”

This is the latest in a string of actions from student, staff and resident Pro-Palestine groups targeting the university’s Israel-related investments and ties to QinetiQ.

Responding to the protest, Aberystwyth University stated QinetiQ was one of over 30 organisations at the workshop “from a broad range of sectors” attending to learn more about the Centre.

A University spokesperson added: “The NSC aims to address the rapidly growing demand for new technologies which use radio spectrum in areas such as intelligent farming, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, healthcare and 5G and beyond.

“A group of protesters gathered outside the building where the event was held and we fully respect their rights to make their views known to us as a university.”

The NSC’s main base will be at the university’s Gogerddan campus and it is hoped the project will also lead to the creation of high-value jobs in Mid Wales and the development of the region as a world-leading centre of spectrum-based technologies, research and testing.

A QinetiQ spokesperson said: “We provide no weapons to Israel.”