Paint thrown over Cambridge University West site building in protest of its ties to Israel

Last night, pink paint was thrown over Cambridge University’s Maxwell Centre in protest of the centre’s links to companies involved in Israel’s military operation.

The paint was accompanied with a message reading “We charge you with Genocide,” referring to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The Maxwell Centre, which is part of Cambridge’s West site, houses the Laboratory for Scientific Computing. This research group has been criticised for its ties to several companies involved in supplying the Israeli military.

This Is Not a Drill, the activist group behind the protest, has commented: “The action calls for the wider university, which has accepted millions in research grants from arms companies in recent years, to end its complicity in genocide and colonial occupation.”

The decentralised climate justice group also express concerns about the Maxwell Centre’s connections to the fossil fuel industry, criticising it for its work with multiple oil companies.

This is not the first protest enacted at the Maxwell Centre this term. Last month, a coalition of climate justice and Pro-Palestine organisations hosted a sit-in at the Maxwell Centre in a show of opposition to the impact the LSC’s partnerships with arms and fossil fuel companies.

Trinity College is another example of Cambridge’s associated institutions that has faced backlash for its involvement in companies facilitating the war in Israel and Palestine. On Saturday 16th June, a student-led protest against Trinity’s refusal to cut ties with the arms companies will take place outside Great St. Mary’s Church.

The University of Cambridge has been contacted for comment.

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