The Union of Clare Students (UCS) passed a motion on Monday (30/06) that commits “student support to divestment by Clare College from arms and occupation”.

139 people voted in favour of the motion, and 16 against, with one abstention. The motion commits student support to the process of divestment, but will not directly force the College to take any action.

In a post to their social media, Clare for Palestine said that “Whilst the UCS, has adopted the motion, which is a huge step in the right direction, we must still work hard towards divestment!”

In its motion, which was proposed on 22/06, the UCS noted that Clare’s investment policy does not contain “exclusions pertaining to companies involved in the arms trade or companies involved in activities generally recognised as illegal or contravening global norms, such as occupation”.

The motion also recognised that the majority of Clare College’s investments are “indirect” rather than “direct,” given that they are managed by asset managing company Amundi.

The UCS also argued that the College must take into account student opinions regarding its investment policy, “in order to fulfil its charitable obligations to its beneficiaries,” adding: “Institutions dedicated to our education and welfare should not be profiting from or providing social and academic legitimacy to an industry that fuels global conflict and contributes to human rights abuses.”

Additionally, the motion claimed, the entities responsible for managing Clare’s investments “have little control on how and where weapons are used,” meaning that “arguments regarding the value of defence cannot overrule ethical concerns”.

King’s College was identified in the document as having set a “precedent for an ethical investment policy”.

The union also emphasised its belief that “ethical concerns” should take priority over the “possibility of financial risk or loss which may be incurred through a divestment process,” also suggesting that divestment could provide long-term financial stability.

At the end of the motion, the UCS expressed its resolution to “use a strong student mandate in support of this motion to demonstrate to the College that the student body desires divestment from arms and occupation,” and to “continue working with College to ensure that student voice is considered in decisions regarding ethical investment policy”.

Voting was open to Clare’s student body. It opened on Wednesday afternoon (25/06) and concluded on Friday (27/06) at 15:00.

Clare’s investment committee is currently reviewing another paper regarding divestment which was submitted by the UCS in March of this year. The paper proposes that the College includes a “public commitment not to make investments in armaments and defence companies” in its investment policy, and “instructs its fund manager to exit all current investments and in companies involved in armaments and defence” no later than the end of 2025.

This follows the establishment of the group Clare for Palestine, which was formed at the beginning of June. Clare for Palestine describes itself as a “student-led group demanding our College to disclose and divest from arms”.

Earlier this week, a petition was launched by St John’s Junior Combination Room (JCR) and Samuel Butler Room (SBR) which called on the College to “divest from arms manufacturers and companies complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people”.

On the 22nd of June, the University hosted an open meeting for staff and students on the topic of “investments in, and research funded by, companies belonging to the defence industry”. It was organised by the University working group on arms investments headed by Professor Graham Virgo.

Clare College was contacted for comment.