Now Cambridge University is forced to move graduation ceremonies after pro

Release time：2024-05-18 00:12:12 Source：Planet Perspectives news portal

Cambridge University has been forced to move this week's graduation ceremonies to an undisclosed 'alternative location' after student activists protesting the war in Gaza set up camp outside the venue that has hosted ceremonies since the 18th century.

Protesters pitched tents on a lawn outside Senate House on Wednesday, with graduation ceremonies due to take place there on Friday and Saturday.

But the university said in a statement today hat it had taken the 'very difficult decision' to hold the events at an undisclosed 'alternative location'.

The protestors have previously said they would halt or disrupt graduations as a 'last resort' because the University had not met their demands.

Their actions come after a wave of similar student protests in the US including encampments at Colombia University in New York, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California, Los Angeles, which resulted in police disbanding the encampments with forceful tactics, including teargas to move protesters out. 

Cambridge University has been forced to move graduation ceremonies to an undisclosed 'alternative location' after student activists protesting the war in Gaza set up camp outside Senate House 

Protesters pitched tents on a lawn outside Senate House on Wednesday, with graduation ceremonies due to take place there on Friday and Saturday

Palestine flags have been draped from the historic building where graduation ceremonies have taken place since the 18th Century

A Cambridge University spokesperson 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.

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Pro-Palestine protests at Cambridge University move to lawn outside Senate House where graduation ceremonies are due to take place this weekend

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

An encampment appeared outside King's College at the start of last week, and activists pitched a ring of tents on the Senate House lawn this week.

Protesters have vowed to continue until a set of demands are met, and earlier this week they chanted: 'Let your students graduate; come and negotiate.'

A Cambridge student, who did not wish to be named, said last week that the protesters were demanding that the university 'disclose all of its research collaborations and financial ties with companies and institutions complicit in Israel's genocide and then to divest from these'.

'We will be staying here until our demands are met,' she said.

The university said in an earlier statement that it would be 'happy to talk with our students and engage with them' but it was 'impossible to have a conversation with an anonymous group'.

A banner has been taped to the doors of Senate House which read 'Refaat's House', named after Palestinian activist and writer who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in December 2023

Earlier this week, a group called 'Cambridge for Palestine' shared footage of activists breaking into the University's Senate house lawn in the center of the city 

Former home secretary Suella Braverman was interviewed by a GB News reporter in the rain in the vicinity of the protests.

As she was interviewed outside King's College, her face screened from several angles by umbrellas, an elderly activist held a placard which said 'openly Jewish against visible genocide'.

A marked police van parked outside Senate House and there were uniformed officers on foot patrol in the area around lunchtime.

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There had been a rally and march around that time the previous day, but the protest appeared muted in the rain on Thursday.

Earlier this week, a group called 'Cambridge for Palestine' shared footage of activists breaking into the University's Senate house lawn in the center of the city.

In the footage, the masked protestors can be seen using a ladder to access the gated lawn before setting up the new camp. 

An encampment outside King's College appeared at the start of last week, and now activists have also pitched a ring of almost 20 tents on the Senate House Lawn. 

Palestine flags have been draped from the Grade II-listed urn in the centre of the lawn, and a white sheet has been fixed below it with 'welcome to liberated zone' written on it. 

A banner has also been taped to the doors of Senate House which read 'Refaat's House', named after Palestinian activist and writer who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in December 2023.

The flags have also been taped to the columns of Senate House and to some walls, and a 'please keep off the grass' sign modified so it reads: 'please keep off Palestine'. 

Protesters have vowed to continue until a set of demands are met.

In a statement shared on social media the protestors said that: 'Disrupting graduation is a last resort which we absolutely do not wish to take, but as the University of Cambridge has refused thus far to engage in negotiations, we have been left with no other choice. 

'We have taken this action two days before Friday's graduation ceremony in order to give the University of Cambridge ample time to respond, and we will leave senate house as soon as the University of Cambridge meets our pre-conditions and holds a meeting with our negotiation team.'

Activist students at the University of Cambridge are now targeting graduation ceremonies to protest the war in Gaza after camping out on King's Parade

The student group said: 'We have taken this action two days before Friday's graduation ceremony in order to give the University of Cambridge ample time to respond'

Cambridge for Palestine protesters marched from the camp outside King's College this week

The university said it would be 'happy to talk with our students and engage with them' but it was 'impossible to have a conversation with an anonymous group'.

Professor Bhaskar Vira, pro-vice-chancellor for education at the University of Cambridge, said: 'The University has been in regular and ongoing contact with students who have been impacted by the tragic events in Gaza and Palestine.

'We support freedom of speech and protest within the law.

'From the first day of this protest last week, with my colleague Prof Kamal Munir, we have been extremely clear that we would be happy to talk with our students and engage with them.

'To date we have received only anonymous emails.

'We remain ready for constructive engagement with our students, but it is impossible to have a conversation with an anonymous group.'

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