Careering Downwards, courtesy of Cambridge University!
Cameraboy | 05.11.2008 23:52 | Animal Liberation | Anti-militarism | Energy Crisis | Cambridge
Today and tomorrow, Cambridge University are hosting a Careers Fair, which seems to comprise a motley collection of arms manufacturues, planet wreckers and Vivisectionists.
To highlight just how dubious many of the exhibitors at this event are, some activists decided to go along today.
To highlight just how dubious many of the exhibitors at this event are, some activists decided to go along today.
An interesting display greets visitors...
...Which happen to be more eyecatching than the official banner!
Despite the extremely fluffy actions undertaken by activists, which were handing out flyers to visitors (for a while inside the venue as well as on the road outside), and displaying banners, there was a high presence not only of the expected Proctors, but also many police, including a FIT team who made a point of photographing everyone while they were there, but seemed to be strangley camera shy themselves.
Apparently earlier in the day there were at least two vanloads of police in attendance, although by the time activists arrived in numbers they had gone, with 'just' several cars having a visible presence there all of the afternoon, including (I witnessed) the searching of someone's Guitar case at the door!
Some of the exhibitors include...
Proctor & Gamble (vivisection funders)
Eon (Pro Nuclear and Coal power)
Rolls Royce (Arms Manufactors, sponsors of University Engineering Department)
Shell (archetypal oil greenwashers)
...And many more besides.
It would seem that despite previous years' Careers Fairs also having activists in attendance, due to the moral bankrupy of the companies being booked for said event, the University still hasn't figured out that it's actually better for their wider reputation to display some ethics in their booking choices for such an event.
You could always come along and see it for yourself, as it's open again Thursday afternoon (November 6th), by The Mill Pond at The Graduate Centre, although if you're not a Cambridge University Sstudent, you may get ID'ed.
Apparently earlier in the day there were at least two vanloads of police in attendance, although by the time activists arrived in numbers they had gone, with 'just' several cars having a visible presence there all of the afternoon, including (I witnessed) the searching of someone's Guitar case at the door!
Some of the exhibitors include...
Proctor & Gamble (vivisection funders)
Eon (Pro Nuclear and Coal power)
Rolls Royce (Arms Manufactors, sponsors of University Engineering Department)
Shell (archetypal oil greenwashers)
...And many more besides.
It would seem that despite previous years' Careers Fairs also having activists in attendance, due to the moral bankrupy of the companies being booked for said event, the University still hasn't figured out that it's actually better for their wider reputation to display some ethics in their booking choices for such an event.
You could always come along and see it for yourself, as it's open again Thursday afternoon (November 6th), by The Mill Pond at The Graduate Centre, although if you're not a Cambridge University Sstudent, you may get ID'ed.
Cameraboy
Comments
Hide the following 7 comments
Bluring Faces
06.11.2008 12:19
If you want to make people anonymous, you need to completely remove their faces from your photos.
Any news on what sort of reactions the activists got from other visitors?
___________________
Freedom of Expression
06.11.2008 13:42
Anon
Great stuff!
06.11.2008 16:24
Kick 'Em Off Campus
Homepage: http://www.kickemoffcampus.org/
Response to anon
06.11.2008 19:24
The greatest disease is the apathy of humans, but sadly too many people are prepared to turn a blind eye, which plays into the hands of government and commerce.
Well done for the action in Cambridge and keep up the good work.
Sparky The Clown
why bother blurring?
07.11.2008 18:05
thanks in advance for letting me know
blah blah
Regarding the blurring of faces and photography.
08.11.2008 19:47
And don't forget that if you do see a cop pointing a camera towards you at an action/demo, you are perfectly (and completely legally) entitled to;
a) Take their picture as well (if it's in a public place, not on private property).
b) Hide your face, or obscure their line of sight in some way.
c) Walk up to them and ask why they're filming you, and...
d) Under the Freedom Of Information Act, in some cases you can also request a copy of the pictures/footage they're shooting, which may ruffle their feathers a bit.
If enough people do this, it would create lots of extra paperwork for them.
But DO NOT tell them to f*** off (very tempting as it is), because they can arrest you for threatening and abusive behaviour!
Finally, worth bearing in mind that the next time a cop tells you to stop taking pictures, there was an Early Day Motion passed earlier this year, signed up to by a couple of hundred MPs reinforcing peoples' right to be able to legitimately take photos in public places, so you can justifiably say that you are doing nothing illegal and that Parlaiment agrees with you on this point.
Cameraboy
role of university
13.11.2008 16:17
are any companies "good"?
And this is why we have to go and make a presence, to combat the greenwash, and give a balanced presence at the fair. We should be welcomed, not discouraged with security.
And our success is if the companies- like E-on now has done- realise that they will not come off well overall at graduate recruitment events, and if a few more graduates are swayed into an ethical choice in their future occupation (not necessarily a career)
beva