University of Cambridge goes to High Court to ban student-led occupations

The University of Cambridge has acted to ensure that further encampments and occupations of its land, such as those carried out by pro-Palestine groups, are not possible by applying to the High Court to prevent direct actions.

The ICJP (International Centre of Justice for Palestinians) responded by criticising the university’s “draconian efforts to undermine their students’ civil liberties”.

The hearing for a High Court injunction banning pro-Palestinian protesters from occupying or blocking University of Cambridge land relates to Senate House and Senate House Yard, The Old Schools, and Greenwich House.

The High Court application includes details of occupations and encampments carried out by University of Cambridge student groups - which the university calls “persons unknown, who purport to be students of the university” - between May and December 2024. The university says it “believes that there is a real and imminent risk of the defendants carrying out further direct action on the Land”.

The group Cambridge for Palestine is named as the likely organisation behind any further action not least because the group, the university states, “published a post on social media stating, ‘We will be back’, under the tag line ‘We Will Not Stop. We Will Not Rest’”. The incident was reported in the Cambridge Independent here.

The University of Cambridge states that, “unless restrained by the court, the defendants will carry out acts amounting to trespass and nuisance on the land”.

The ICJP, an independent organisation of lawyers, academics and politicians that work to promote and support Palestinian rights, said that the application “would effectively ban pro-Palestinian student protests until 2030”.

An ICJP statement says: “Not only is this an assault on fundamental civil liberties including freedom of expression, but it also demonstrates how out of touch the university is, by targeting a student-led campaign that has wide support amongst both students and staff, and whose aims are to campaign for the University to divest from companies and institutions complicit in war crimes, crimes against humanity and other violations of international law against the Palestinian people.”

ICJP senior public affairs officer Jonathan Purcell said: “Ultimately, these students are simply asking the university to ensure that their investments and partnerships aren’t contributing to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and the West Bank, demolitions of Palestinians’ homes, and other human rights violations - surely the bare minimum for an educational institution.

“It’s hard to know what people want the students to do. If peaceful protest is banned too, how are students supposed to have their voices heard? Universities are supposed to foster freedom of thought, and yet Cambridge University is seeking to create a monolithic climate, void of any dissenting opinion.”

Some in Cambridge were inclined to agree with him. Clement Mouhot, Cambridge Professor of mathematical sciences at the University of Cambridge, said: “This is nothing short of an all-out attack on freedom of expression and assembly, and the right to protest.

"The claim by Cambridge managers that these peaceful protests are rejected by the university community is utterly false: on the contrary, thousands upon thousands of staff, students and alumni have signed open letters in support of their demands. I myself consider that students, in Cambridge and elsewhere, have been the moral conscience of the world by refusing to stay silent in the face of genocide."

A spokesperson for the University of Cambridge told the Cambridge Independent: “Any claim that the University is trying to restrict protest is ridiculous. It does not restrict the important right to legal protest.

“There are many ways protests can take place and voices can be heard, but the actions we are taking will protect the right of other members of our community to graduate and for staff to carry out their work.

“Last year, the graduation of more than 1,600 students was disrupted by a small group who occupied parts of the University. Like other universities, we also recently had an occupation of one of our university buildings, in which occupiers gained access to confidential material about research and staff. We have acted to protect that information.”

An open letter to the vice-chancellor from students and members of staff across the University of Cambridge has been published. It questions the decision to apply for an injunction. calling it “an assault on freedom of expression”.