Pro-Palestine protesters have claimed a “liberated zone” at Cambridge University’s Greenwich House as demonstrations continued over the weekend, with more rallies and protests planned for Monday.
Lebanese and Palestinian flags were raised as students occupied the administrative building, which houses key university functions, including its estates, finance and human resources divisions.
The students said the protests are in response to the university “breaking” its agreements regarding an ongoing review of its arms investments that could lead to divestment from companies involved in Israel’s war on Gaza.
In July, Cambridge University reached an agreement with students following months of protests, prompting Cambridge for Palestine (C4P) to end its encampment on campus.
As part of the agreement, the university committed to funding opportunities for Palestinian academics and students to go to Cambridge and said that “a Palestinian scholar has already been accepted to come to Cambridge”.
The university also pledged to form a working group, including student representatives, to review investments and propose further steps.
However, C4P now says that the university has “stalled” on its commitments, removed Palestine from its review of arms ties and “weaponised bureaucracy to reduce student power”.
Cambridge has acknowledged delays in its defence investments review and even postponed its initial deadline for findings from the end of the term to the end of the academic year.
“After stalling and manipulating negotiations with Cambridge for Palestine, the University Council will be meeting on Monday morning, 25 November, to discuss representation for the divestment working group,” C4P shared on their Instagram page.
“Show up at 10am to pressure the university to satisfy the bare minimum conditions of representation.”
Protesters are demanding that the university publicly condemn the genocide in Gaza and conduct a comprehensive analysis of its investments.
C4P says that Cambridge “invests in weapons manufacturing companies involved in genocide” and “takes part in research collaborations aimed at developing the weapons and AI systems used to oppress and ethnically cleanse Palestine”.
Failure to meet these demands, C4P said, will result in further escalation from the students, according to Varsity, Cambridge’s student newspaper.