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Cambridge graduation ceremonies forced elsewhere by pro-Palestine camp

Ewan Somerville
Fri, 17 May 2024 

Negotiations are set to begin with the Cambridge pro-Palestine protesters next week - Getty/Martin Pope


Students at the University of Cambridge have been forced to graduate in a less traditional venue because of pro-Palestine disruption.

Activists pitched tents outside Senate House, the grand venue where Cambridge graduations have been held since the 18th century, earlier this week in an attempt to force bosses to meet their demands on the Israel-Gaza war.

It led to Friday and Saturday’s ceremonies being moved by university chiefs to Downing College – which was announced to all students due to graduate but not publicly – with security patrols stepped up.


By Friday morning the protesters had ended their occupation of the lawn at Senate House, claiming that bosses had now agreed to start negotiations with them next week, but the graduations were not moved back in time.

In a statement, the camp organisers Cambridge for Palestine said: “The university has agreed to negotiate and met a number of our preconditions.

“Our goal from the Senate House yard occupation has been accomplished, in a step towards distancing our university from genocide.

“This small victory paves the way for our demands to be met in future negotiations.”
Camp remains standing

The Telegraph understands the university has agreed that students taking part in talks will not be disciplined and that faculty members will be used as observers and mediators rather than third parties.

Cambridge’s main pro-Palestine camp, outside King’s College, remains standing along with others at dozens of universities across Britain, as activists try to copy the occupations that swept US universities last month.

The demands of the main Cambridge camp, which still numbers at least 30 tents on King’s Parade, are similar to those on campuses nationwide.

They are for bosses to disclose financial investments, divest from companies with links to the war in Gaza, reinvest in Palestinian academia and become a “university of sanctuary” for “all forced migrants”.

The university did not answer questions about whether it would cave into the demands, but denied it was a negotiation.

Prof Bhaskar Vira, pro-vice-chancellor for education, said: “We were glad to meet our students as we have been willing to do from the first day of the protest. While we understand some will see it as a negotiation, we see it as a constructive dialogue with our students.”

On Friday, pictures showed lines of students in gowns processing from their individual colleges to the new venue. They were allowed to take photographs of each other in their robes outside Senate House afterwards with security officers patrolling the gates.
‘Alternative arrangements’

In an earlier statement on Tuesday, the university said: “We regret that due to the ongoing presence of protesters on Senate House lawn, we have taken the very difficult decision to make alternative arrangements for the degree congregations this weekend.

“All students who want to graduate this weekend will still be able to attend their degree congregation at an alternative location that is fitting of the occasion.

“We are confident that ceremonies will be a memorable and enjoyable experience for students and their guests.”

Former home secretary Suella Braverman paid a visit to the Cambridge King’s College camp on Thursday, where she was met with a wall of silence when she asked the protesters questions about Israel and the hostages seized by Hamas.

“I’m very concerned about this anti-Semitism on campus. We have a lot of Jewish students feeling very intimidated and harassed on campus,” the MP told the student newspaper Varsity.

Meanwhile, at the University of Oxford, where another pro-Palestinian camp has been erected, a letter from staff and students this week claimed that when when some had raised concerns about anti-Semitism to their heads of programmes, they were “simply advised to leave Oxford”.

Oxford said it was “unequivocal in its position that there is no place for anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, or unlawful discrimination of any kind”.

Demonstrators at the London School of Economics became the latest to occupy part of a campus this week, joining peers in Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, Warwick and Bristol.

Protestors camp outside University of York in show of support for Palestine

Alice Kavanagh
Fri, 17 May 2024

Pro Palestine protestors camp out at the University of York (Image: Newsquest)


A PRO-PALESTINIAN encampment at the University of York has been set up with no end date in sight.

As The Press reported earlier this week, York Palestine Solidarity Encampment has been set up outside Heslington Hall at the University of York where students and staff plan to remain until they feel the university has done enough to stand in solidarity with Palestine.

With the first day of their camp scheduled for the 76th anniversary of Nakba, the group told reporters that they were there as they felt their list of demands had not yet been met.

READ MORE:

‘We have got to keep hope in our hearts’: York protesters call for ceasefire in Gaza


'Free Palestine' protesters march through York

Whilst the university announced last month that they will no longer invest in companies that primarily make or sell weapons and defence-related products or services, those in the encampment believed they were still offering indirect support through research partnerships, sponsors, and some administrative facilities.

According to protestors, one such example of this is £11 million given to The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) AI Centres for Doctoral Training, who reportedly partner with BAE Systems.

One member of the camp said: “This sets a precedent of the University not investing personally but still accepting it.”

Another demand on their list was cut ties to Israeli universities and offer scholarships to Palestinian students. Linked to this is support for Fadi Hania – a Gazan student who had to flee the country with his family, something that pro-Palestinian groups helped him raise funds for – reportedly without the support of the University itself.

When The Press arrived on the site, around 4pm on the first afternoon of their encampment (May 15), the mood was relatively positive with ten to fifteen people dotted across the camp – studying, eating, and chatting.

Few were keen to speak openly, fearing negative repercussions (as have reportedly occurred at other universities), and others wore face coverings.

York Press: 
Signs at the encampment protest (Image: Newsquest)

According to the protestors, the reaction from university staff so far had been positive with campus security staff coming onto the site to chat with protestors about access arrangements and the Vice Chancellor paying a visit on the first morning on the encampment.

That being said, not all of those at the site were impressed with this – one person saying of the Vice Chancellor’s visit: “We’re waiting to see action on our demands, not just words.”

As of the first day, there is no end date planned for the encampment – whilst students will come and go as exam season progresses, there will be a presence on the campsite ‘indefinitely’ with designated study spaces set up and food donations given.

A GoFundMe, set up on the first morning, had raised around £600 in 5 hours at the time of our visit – this will go towards sustaining those on the campsite with any excess donated directly to groups that support those in Palestine.

A spokesperson for the University said in response to the encampment: “Our campus is a place where difficult issues can be discussed openly and through lawful protest and free speech. We need to make sure we listen and learn from each other, whilst together rejecting all forms of violence, intimidation and harassment.”