Cambridge for Palestine establish a new liberated zone in Senate House

In the early hours of Wednesday 27th November, students of Cambridge University erected tents on the lawn of Senate House, where graduations take place, and declared it to be a liberated zone for Palestine.

The Cambridge for Palestine Instagram account said that this occurred “in response to Cambridge University’s unwillingness to take any meaningful steps towards divestment from the genocide and occupation of Palestine”.

The group have also taken over Kanafani House (previously known as Greenwich House), claiming it as another liberated zone on Friday 22nd November, and expanded to occupy the whole building on Friday 29th November. In a statement released on Friday morning, the students have stated that “we have escalated our action and have expanded to the whole building at Kanafani House. This community will continue to grow and escalate until our demands are met”.

On Instagram, a collaborative post between @camjews4justice, @cambridgeforpalestine, @cambridgepalsoc, and other collaborators announces an “Urgent Call to Action”, encouraging students at Cambridge University to write to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, and other members of the University Council, in solidarity with the student encampments.

In a statement released on the morning of Friday 29th November, the Cambridge Student Union expressed “its support for the aims of Cambridge for Palestine’, and “request the University to take urgent accountability, honour its commitments, and engage meaningfully in constructive dialogue with the students”.

They also call on the university to “acknowledge and condemn the crisis in Palestine in accordance with international law”, “ensure fair representation in discussions about divestment” and to “conduct an immediate review and disclosure of the University’s investments in companies financially and professionally complicit in the ongoing crisis in Palestine including weapons production”.

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Cambridge for Palestine have revealed that as a result of these protests, “two University administrators […] unexpectantly reached out to the Task Force” on Thursday 28th November “asking urgently for a meeting on Friday morning, despite refusing to meet with C4P representatives earlier this week”.

This came after “Cambridge University administrators cancelled the only scheduled meeting with the Cambridge for Palestine (C4P) Task Force” on Monday 25th November. However, recent updates on Friday night have made it clear that “Cambridge has suspended all negotiations with the C4P Task Force”.

Image credit: Anna Mardling

Senate House is usually the site of graduations at Cambridge and hundreds of graduations were due to take place here on Saturday 29th November. However, the graduation ceremony has been relocated to the church of Great Saint Mary’s, which stands opposite Senate House. In response to this, @cambridgeforpalestine have organised a rally tomorrow, stating that “There is no normalcy during genocide”.

Cambridge for Palestine, the University of Cambridge and the Cambridge Students Union have been approached for comment.