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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.

Check one Banner Drop!
Check one Banner Drop!

An interesting display greets visitors...
An interesting display greets visitors...

...Which happen to be more eyecatching than the official banner!
...Which happen to be more eyecatching than the official banner!

Part 1...
Part 1...

Part 2...
Part 2...

There's a lot of it about in Cambridge...
There's a lot of it about in Cambridge...

Activists speaking to one of the organisers.
Activists speaking to one of the organisers.


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.

Cameraboy

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

Bluring Faces

06.11.2008 12:19

What is the point of lightly bluring faces, so that we can still see exactly where each person keeps their nose, mouth and eyes?

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

Can someone explain why, when people are peacefully protesting, they get phoographed by the police?? Where are our human rights to freedom of speech and expression?? Why do people, who are doing nothing more than expressing their concern at events they are not happy with, have to be photographed like criminals? Democracy? No, just hypocrisy!

Anon


Great stuff!

06.11.2008 16:24

It seems like careers fairs demos are spreading all over the place...good to see, and keep the pressure up. Solidarity from Sheffield. :D

Kick 'Em Off Campus
- Homepage: http://www.kickemoffcampus.org/


Response to anon

06.11.2008 19:24

Quite simply, anybody who interferes with the "smooth" running of government or commerce is an enemy of the state in the eyes of police\government.

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

why bother blurring faces when the police have already taken photos of each and every person present? What does it achieve, especially when the photographs are of legal activities?

thanks in advance for letting me know

blah blah


Regarding the blurring of faces and photography.

08.11.2008 19:47

Just because the cops were snooping on everyone present doesn't mean to say that activists' identities should not be protected in other media, because you have to bear in mind that it is not only the police who look at sites like Indymedia, but also other even more reactionary individuals with their own agendas/vendettas.

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

One thing- you criticise the university for their booking choices. I don't think this is quite fair- if a company approaches the university, they pay the fee for attendance, and are allowed to come. It would be hard for the university to draw a line between morally acceptable, and morally "bad" companies. And the university funds charities, arts related careers etc to come to recruit. They do not fund the companies we were objecting to.

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