Last action heroes?
A protest organised to coincide with the official opening of the Saïd Business School this Monday was declared "disappointing" by organiser and local councillor Paul Ingham, after just a handful of demonstrators took part.
As former EU President, Romani Prodi, spoke to European business leaders, demonstrators outside the School displayed banners reading 'built with blood money' and distributed leaflets over the involvement of the school's founder, Wafic Saïd, in past arms dealings.
Speaking before the event, projecting "in the region of two to three hundred protesters," Ingham stated that "the majority of students are showing a certain amount of complacency" though admitted that most had "not been aware of the issues." "I think it's a shame that there is not a huge amount of interest over these issues... though now that the building has been built there is a sense that there is nothing you can do."
However, students at the protests disagreed. One student from Wadham stated "the university is rubber-stamping arms dealings... we all think it's an absolute disgrace."
Ingham saw future protests over the issue as unlikely: "I think, to be honest, this may be the last action."
Inside the ceremony, as might be expected, no-one would speak ill of Mr Saïd. Former Tory Minister Jonathan Aitken, a close associate of Saïd for over "three decades" and also involved in the Al Yamamah arms deal, described him as "a great as well as a generous man." "Very few great fortunes are made without a touch of controversy on the way."
9th May 2002