Friday 3rd December (Day 8)

21.19 CUSU released this statement about today's events:

"CUSU condemns the University's attempts to force legitimate, peaceful protest to end. Rather than pursuing this increasingly unsuccessful tactic, the University must respect the resolve and passion of the occupiers and engage in serious dialogue and negotiation with the occupiers and with CUSU over their most important demand: that the University use its considerable influence to resist the cuts to the higher education budget and the increase of tuition fees to £9000."

20.36 The University has released this statement about today's events:

“This afternoon senior representatives from the Police, the Fire Service and the University, in the persons of the Registrary, the University Marshall and a Proctor, entered the Combination Room at the Old Schools on King’s Parade, and told the occupiers present that they should now leave the building. 

If they did not, they explained, there was potential for criminal proceedings, serious fire-risk implications and the implementation of University disciplinary proceedings against those who remained.”

19.16 As the meeting draws to a close, the room is being tidied before dinner is served. At 8.30pm, the occupiers will discuss the protests scheduled for Thursday 9th in London and Cambridge that will coincide with Parliament's vote on education cuts. It has been decided that a general assembly will be held in the occupation at 1pm on Sunday.

18.50 An emotional atmosphere permeates as academics speak of their pride and support for the occupation. One Fellow says he is proud to wear his gown for the first time in his life. Gratitude is expressed for Dr Gopal's support of the student occupation. Two policemen remain stationed on King's Parade.

18.43 A new member of the University Council is addressing the occupiers and calling for the resignation of Cambridge MP Julian Huppert.

18.40 Many academics are now addressing the students to show their support. Andy Martin, an academic in French, says he is impressed by the students and disappointed by the university administration. Some were kettled by the police earlier this evening. The message is that they are on call to protect the students from the police, and that even more academics support the students than signed up to the petition led by Dr Priyamvada Gopal.

18.38 Trade unionists will march on parliament with students on Thursday.

18.34 The occupiers are holding a meeting, with academics and trade unionists representing civil servants in attendance.

18.33 Varsity has heard that if the occupiers are evicted tonight it will be by bailiffs, not police officers.

18.25 Cambridge Defend Education uploaded an emergency press release to their website in reaction to the kettling tactics of the Cambridge police. They wrote:

'The students in the occupation have called on supporters to join the crowd outside the occupation. They issued this statement: “We are outraged that the university would attempt to starve students out and limit their access to toilets.  This is an unsafe, disproportionate, and violent response to a peaceful and non-violent occupation. The University is still refusing to reply to our demands and is instead taking violent means against us. We call on all supporters to come down and challenge the blockade of the occupation.”'

18.18 In a reaction to yesterday's events at the Old Schools, Peterhouse College, its gates, JCR and library have been locked since yesterday afternoon. The Fellows reportedly were tipped off that plans were being laid to occupy the college in reaction to its JCR's vote against the occupation.

18.12 A student tells Varsity that the change of police tactic has come about because of the large number of students outside the side gate. They have assured police they are peaceful protestors. The situation remains calm.

18.04 In an apparent U-turn on their previous policy, the police are now allowing anyone access to the building. People are now allowed freedom of entry and exit. The situation at the side gate seems to have calmed for the moment.

18.02 Scuffles between police officers and protestors are breaking out at the side gate. The protestors are trying to pull people into the building from the street, while the police officers are attempting to maintain the blockade of the gate and their policy of no entry.

17.56 4 police officers have entered the Old Schools by the back entrance.

17.52 One person has climbed over the fence to gain entry with no interference from police officers. The protestors inside have now regained access to the toilets. One student told Varsity that his supervisor left a supervision to come and show support at the Old Schools.

17.49 University Security have now blocked entry to the toilets in the Old Schools. There are now 12 police officers at the scene.

17.36 A crowd of approximately 50 people has gathered outside the blockaded gate. There is singing and shouting.

17.24 Seven police officers have now blockaded the entrance to the Old Schools on St. Mary's Passage. Students are being permitted to leave, but for the first time no-one is being allowed entry. A riot van is parked on King's Parade. The occupiers are calling for supporters to gather outside, and increasing numbers of students are arriving outside the gates.

17.09 A tense stand-off between occupiers and police has taken place in the Combination Room. Police arrived with the Registrar, Proctor and Senior University Constable to give the occupiers an unequivocal order to leave. The announcement was met with shouts of anger from the students, and relations quickly descended to raised voices on both sides. Suggestions that the police were concerned for the safety of students was greeted with derision, with some protestors becoming emotional given the use of batons by police at previous protests. The occupation is now holding an emergency meeting to discuss further courses of action.

16.52 Police and the Junior Proctor have arrived in the Old Schools to tell the occupation that now is the time to reconsider their choice to remain in the Combination Room. They say that if the party planned for tonight goes ahead the fire service will be 'forced' to remove people. They said: 'You have made your point, now is the time to leave the premises.' The occupation responded on the spot saying that 'it is a completely legitimate peaceful protest.' The Proctor has said they will not be looking to penalise supporting academics but will be looking for individual students to punish. Police are considering this officially as 'due warning'. Protestors feel they are using health and safety regulations as 'a smokescreen to silence students.'

16.40 Cambridge Defend Education released this statement minutes ago:

'Just hours after shutting down the administrative headquarters of Cambridge University, student protesters currently occupying the Old Schools of the University staged a flash occupation of the Guildhall, Cambridge’s local government building. Protesters entered the Guildhall chanting slogans, and entered the Committee Room of the building.

The occupation of the Liberal Democrat-controlled Council building is intended to pressurise the Lib Dems, whose participation in the Coalition government will enable the proposed slashing of public spending, including education budgets. The Commons vote on the widely criticised proposals to triple tuition fees is scheduled for next Friday.

Ali Stretton, a student at Cambridge University, said: “This morning we targeted the University’s silence on tuition fees and cuts, and now we are targeting the political mechanism which is enabling the devastation of our public services and education system on a national level.”'

16.28 The majority of occupiers have left the Combination Room organised in groups. There is speculation that separate groups will undertake direct action in various locations around the town.

16.26 The occupiers have entered the Council Chamber of the Guildhall, greeted by only half-hearted attempts to halt their progress.

16.19 A police presence is stepping up around the Old Schools leading to mounting tensions.

15.44 The Cambridge Occupation have responded to MP Julian Huppert's condemnation of the protest with the following statement: "It is no surprise that Lib Dem MP Julian Huppert is condemning protests against increased fees and destructive cuts - it is his political party that is supporting the fees and cuts in the first place. Huppert may be voting against fees, but he is propping up a leadership which is unleashing catastrophic cuts on the country. Mr Huppert implies that the protest is not peaceful. We absolutely reject this implication. We are peacefully blockading the entrances to the Old Schools offices, placing no-one at risk. The only violence being perpetrated is by the government against ordinary people. The whole country will suffer as a result of the destruction of our public services, and civil disobedience is a proportionate response to the ConDem government's assault on ordinary people."

15.30 Dr Priyamvada Gopal, a prominent supporter of the occupation, gave this statement to Varsity about the day's proceedings:

'The student protesters continue to do a heroic job of defending public education and our universities from the onslaught of corporate privatisation. It is a pity that their peaceful actions of the last week and their requests for open dialogue about how the University will respond to this onslaught – backed by nearly 300 Cambridge academics – have been so signally ignored by authorities. Universities are and must continue to remain spaces of dialogue and debate. I am very concerned at the attempts to criminalise these students who were forced to escalate the visibility of their action and call for this to be halted.'

14.00 The Governing Body of King’s College is set to announce its ‘deep concern at the undue haste with which the government is proceeding to enact legislation to change the principle upon which the funding of higher education is based.’ King’s is the first institution of its kind to enter the debate. Although the occupation was not directly addressed, the Governing Body says it believes that ‘the proposed changes have the potential to inflict irreversible damage upon our culture of education, learning and research.’ The University of Cambridge will announce its position on the matter after a University Council meeting on Monday.

13.35 A meeting is underway. Reporters have been asked to exit the meeting until the students have made their final decision.

13.32 A King's student living in the Market Square spoke to Varsity, saying that 'jumping on bandwagons is annoying enough, but these escalations are noisy, disruptive and useless.'

13.27 A University spokesman contacted Varsity to refute the protestors' claim that the Vice Chancellor was prevented from entering the Old Schools this morning, stating that he was in fact in attendance at a meeting of Universities UK in London.

13.11 A protestor told Varsity that 'the blockade of the Old Schools was a huge success this morning. We made a really clear statement that we will not tolerate the University's continued silence about fees and cuts, and that we will speak out about the fact that they are trying to silence us.'

12.31 Over 10 officers and all police vans have now left the scene. A minimal police presence remains outside the Old Schools.

12.28 Matt Boardman, Churchill College JCR President, has told Varsity that on Wednesday evening members of Churchill JCR voted in support of the Old Schools Occupation with a majority of 58 votes for the motion, 19 votes against and 5 votes of abstention. He sought to clarify that 'the JCR voted only to support the demands of the protest that directly oppose the government cuts to education; demands it felt were sufficiently integral to the protest's aims for the JCR to support the occupation as a means of protest. The JCR does not support all of the demands listed on the Defend Education website, some of which some JCR members believe are distracting from the main issue.'

12.13 The occupiers are now discussing their next move in the Combination Room. As no staff members, including the Vice-Chancellor, Leszek Borysiewicz, were able to get into work due to the blockade, the students feel today's direct action was successful.

12.06 As previously planned, protestors moved back inside the Old Schools at midday. The blockade has now ended after a duration of over five hours. The students have now returned to occupying the University Combination Room.

11.55 Seven police officers have arrived at the scene.

11.50 Students have declared they will not allow Estate Management to enter the building until they can make a collective decision. A fire officer has given the students 20 minutes to discuss before he takes further action.

11.47 A large van of police officers has been spotted heading into the town centre.

11.42 Estate management are now talking with a student representative over concerns about exit routes. They warn that they 'may have to exercise their powers'.

11.38 Fire Safety officers are concerned that people inside the building cannot leave, and that the blockade is therefore unsafe.

11.21 At the front entrance to the Old Schools, students are giving out leaflets to publicise the blockade. Music is being played. At the back entrance, students are taking the opposite approach with a silent protest. Their taped mouths symbolise the University's failure to engage in talks with the occupiers.

10.35 A sound system has been set up by the side gate and is blasting loud music for the students to listen to. In the combination room, people are painting slogans on banners while some students catch up on lost sleep.

10.15 The students have agreed with the porters at Caius that they will no longer stand in front of the library entrance so that CAius students do not feel intimidated when using the library The porters have said they are grateful for the protestors' co-operation.

10.04 Muncha Lisboa, Professor of Portuguese Literature at St. John's College has just arrived with chocolate biscuits for the protestors. One student said, 'we're really grateful for her generosity, it was an incredibly kind gesture.'

10.02 The University of Cambridge have released a statement on this morning's events. A University spokesman said: “This morning entrances and exits at the Old Schools have been blocked by the protestors. This blockade poses a genuine risk to the safety and welfare of the protestors themselves and of staff in the building. Over the last week the University has respected the occupiers’ right to demonstrate, but their present actions are dangerous and unacceptable, and the University, police and fire authorities will be taking the necessary action.”

10.00 Cambridge MP Julian Huppert has spoken out against the occupation of Senate House. The Cambridge News reported that Mr Huppert said he 'cannot condone any action by students which results in them taking over property or breaking the law' and appealed to students to end the occupation.

09.53 Professor Simon Jarvis has arrived at the Old Schools.

09.43 Staff gathered in Cafe Nero on King's Parade appear to have moved to University Centre as the stand-off continues.

09.39 An impromptu meeting was held by senior members of staff earlier this morning in Clare College to determine how to deal with the student protests. Staff were told to move to another location in order to continue work.

09.24 The university are supplying hot drinks to the staff who are unable to access the building.

09.12 BBC Look East are currently filming the silent protest at the back gate of the Old Schools.

09.08 Another police car has arrived. The corner of Trinity Street and St Mary's Passage is blocked.

08.49 Protests are ongoing on King's Parade. Two police cars are parked at the front of Senate House. They have been blocked by a 'Landmark Scaffolding' lorry and van. There is also a police van parked outside Gonville and Caius College.

08.38 A law student suggests to Varsity that this morning's protests at the Old Schools would not constitute aggravated trespass, as peaceful protest is considered a form of lawful authority.

08.31 A cameraman from ITV is filming the protest at the back gate. 

08.30 A banner reading 'Caius Students Welcome' is held up in front of the entrance to Caius library.

08.28 Our reporter overhears a police officer stating that he is going to use the dubious assertion that the students' actions are a criminal offence as a scare tactic in an attempt to motivate them to end the blockade of their own accord. He has also told students that they cannot arrest everyone today, but plan to take pictures in order to pursue action later.

08.19 The registrar has just been refused entrance to the blockaded back entrance of the Old Schools site. More police officers are on their way.

08.17 A police officer warns the students that their actions might potentially be considered aggravated trespass, and that there are equally health and safety risks involved in when blockading fire exits. He adds that he has 'no problem with lawful protest' but does not want the situation to escalate.

08.11 Crowds of police, press and staff are gathering outside the back gate. The reaction of staff at being prevented from entering their place of work is almost exclusively one of bemused frustration.

08.09 The head porter at Caius has expressed his concern that students at the college may be disrupted since Caius' library is situated on the Old Schools site. Students are currently in negotiations with him at the back gate.

08.06 Gonville and Caius' library entrance is now also blocked, but a porter managed to gain entry to the building. More police are arriving. It seems as though all entrances to the Old Schools are now blockaded by students.

07.59 Two police cars arrive at the scene.

07.57 Our reporter overhears police discussing their plan of action. As the police presence numbers just two officers, they decide not to move the students until their action has been co-ordinated. 

07.51 Cambridge Defend Education has created a press release detailing the aims behind the blockade of the Old Schools and Senate House administrative site. The press release states that '[a]fter a week of stonewalling by University management, the students decided to make their presence impossible to ignore.' Find the press release at www.defendeducation.co.uk

07.47 More workers have arrived, and are reacting angrily to the student blockade. Two police officers have arrived at the scene and say they'll 'move them'.

07.41 A third member of staff has now been stopped from entering the Old Schools. Students have speculated that he is a porter at Caius.

07.30 A second member of staff has just been refused entry at the side gate of the Old Schools due to the blockade of students. He has now gone to seek assistance from other staff members. The man refused to comment.

7.20 The first member of staff has just been refused entry from the side gate at the Old Schools. A woman who works for Caius' library was blocked by a barricade of students and left to find an alternative route of entry.

07.19 The occupiers are working quickly. Three entrances to the Old Schools in total are now blocked by students.

07.15 With three teams currently working simultaneously, one of the entrances to the building (nearest Clare College) has been completely blocked off. Other 'teams' are still working on the other doors. The occupiers are unsure of the expected duration of this part of the protest.

07.09 The day of action starts in earnest. The students move to the exterior of the Old Schools. Arranged into 'teams', they move to block each entrance to the building.

06.58 It's an early morning for the occupiers, as they prepare for their day of direct action. The students are awake and wearing their university gowns, some with black gaffer tape covering their mouths.

 

Thursday 2nd December (Day 7)

20.08 The atmosphere at Old Schools is relaxed as one student strums on a guitar and people chat amongst themselves. There is a general dissatisfaction with the Vice-Chancellor’s response to the student’s demands, following a letter sent to Rahul Mansignani earlier today. The letter stated that he would not negotiate with the students whilst they were in occupation, and that once the occupation is over he will meet with representatives to receive, not discuss, their demands. One student describes this as ‘appalling.’

20.05 Some students from Impington Village School have arrived with a petition in support of the occupation. The petition has over 310 signatories, including 17 staff and the Head teacher. There is also a petition from the Sixth Form which should follow. The students told Varsity that they lived a few miles out of Cambridge and so hadn’t been able to attend the walk-outs, but wanted to express their support.This news is met with cheers and applause. Meanwhile a small open mic night is commencing in the corner of the room.

19.48 Chris Page, a Sidney student and left-wing activist, has commented, “I’m really excited about stepping things up a notch tomorrow. I’ve heard a few of the plans and they seem like a natural progression to what we’ve been doing so far. There’s a strong sense of purpose at the moment, loads of people are heading down here to stay the night to be ready for action in the morning.”

18.51 The meeting is delayed because the students are still finalizing plans for tomorrow. Dinner will probably be served at 7pm.

17.42 Two film students from Anglia Ruskin have just turned up to take some footage of students at the occupation. A general meeting has also been called for 6.15pm

16.51 Tonight there will be an open mic event at 7pm followed by a showing of films of occupations from other places.

16.18 Academics have been told by the students that they are free to meet in the Combination Room- - they don’t have to wait until the occupation is over.

16.17 The ‘Solidaritree’ has been paid for. Donations are being asked for. The occupiers are going to put solidarity messages onto the tree.

16.15 Professor Simon Schaffer suggests that it might be nice if the students left knowing that academics would be going into the room afterwards to preserve continuity. He is asking the occupiers whether they’ll be leaving the room. If so, they will book the room for a meeting. Students will be welcome to that meeting.

16.14 The Christmas tree has arrived.

16.12 Occupiers have been quoted as saying about any action tomorrow: 'It’s going to be cool. It’s going to be in keeping with the principles of this space.’

16.10 The occupiers are asking for everyone to come tonight, with gowns, ready for something exciting early tomorrow morning. This could happen as early as 7am. A Facebook event is being made.

16.05 CUSU President, Rahul Mansigani, says that the occupation is hurting University registrars opinion of the students.

16.04 A meeting will be held tomorrow or later on to discuss what will be done about the University Council meeting.

16.03 Other rooms are being sought for Sunday in case people aren’t here then. A Plan B is in place but is not being discussed.

16.01 It was suggested that the academics are proposing something on Sunday/Monday but what it is, is unclear. The academics will be invited to the meeting on Monday to see what is happening.

15.59 Complaints have been raised with confusion between Priya Gopal and CUSU/occupiers.

15.57 CUSU, on behalf of themselves, and not the occupation, attended an urgent meeting with the Vice-Chancellor (VC). The VC said that he was unable to make an announcement without University Council, which is meeting on Monday. He said that he would ‘accept demands, but would not comment on them.’ The University Council meeting, which takes place at 10am on Monday will discuss the demands. CUSU are going to liaise with Priya Gopl to ask academics to lobby the University Council and ask them to propose a grace.  The grace will mandate the VC to response as a matter of urgency.

15.39 A ‘solidaritree’ for Christmas is being sought by the occupiers.

15.15 The plan was to ‘escalate’ this morning but that decision has been pushed back to tomorrow. The exact details of those plans are deliberately vague at the moment and will be the topic of a meeting later today. The rest of the day seems, therefore, to be fairly relaxed.

14.30 Reporters have heard from the current discussions that there is going to be a big meeting on Sunday at 1pm with people from the town (unions etc.) to see how Cambridge Defend Education can get them involved.

14.27 There are about 50 to 60 people in the Combination Room at the moment. They have divided into two groups of roughly 15 people to discussing what’s happening and what’s going to happen.

10.30 The students held a meeting to discuss their plans for tomorrow. They decided upon staging two active protests and a potential walk-out or re-occupation. A few groups have been formed in order to finalize these plans and they are currently conversing together.

06.42 Watch latest video report on the Cambridge Occupation.

01.35 Professor Mary Beard, Classics don and Times blogger, has offered some interesting commentary on the student occupation.

01.07 Ceileidh is now in full swing. The band has been performing at student occupations all over the country.

A student informs readers that "Ceileidh" refers to a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which involves folk music and dancing (both of which appear to be on the agenda tonight).

00.30 ACADEMICS ISSUE URGENT SECOND STATEMENT TO VC An urgent second statement has been sent from academics to the Vice-Chancellor, urging dialogue with students. The statement says:

"We believe the occupation of the University Combination Room offers an opportunity which should be seized upon by the university authorities to engage in an open dialogue with students and staff on the current predicament of UK higher education. We must again ask the Vice-Chancellor to respond positively to the requests already made for such dialogue and regret that no such response has so far been forthcoming."

The statement has been signed by most of the signatories of the first statement (which was signed by over 200 academics. See list of signatories here). The group clarifies that fewer academics have signed the latest statement because of "communication gaps, time sensitivity, and incomplete email lists, not reluctance on part of other signatories to sign again."

Wednesday 1st December (Day 6)

23.30 "We will keep on fighting after the occupation is over, and that may very well include acts of non-violent civil disobedience."

The occupiers have released a new statement that appears to lay out a possible post-occupation strategy and a general course of action for the future. (Read full statement here)

23.15 There are unconfirmed reports from earlier in the evening that the occupiers may try to set up a Skype link with Noam Chomsky, the renowned American academic, as a way to generate attention and raise morale.

As Varsity confirmed on Sunday, Chomsky has lent his name to a statement of support for the occupation.

21.04 It has been announced that the building fully adheres to fire safety regulations, which means that students will not be evicted on the basis of health and safety risks.

20.08 A fireman is being shown around the room. He is talking to students about the different mechanisms that are in place, in the event of a fire. He states that up to 600 people are technically allowed in a large room which has two fire escapes, but jokingly advises students not to invite that many people. He is chatting amicably with the students, as they show him around the room.

19.32 After a lengthy discussion, students have voted with an overwhelming majority to let one fireman inspect the building.

19.24 Discussions still underway on whether fire officials should be allowed up or not. There are approximately 50 - 70 people in the room.

19.10 According to fire officials, they saw the occupation on TV, and were just worried about student safety. Students are considering a proposal to let a particular University staff member, who is trained in fire safety, to conduct the inspection instead.

19.00 BREAKING NEWS: Students are worried that the fire inspection is an excuse to evict them, and are considering blockading the door. Negotiations are currently underway with the fire officers, who are claiming that they have powers of entry under Article 27.

18.53 Some fire officials have gathered downstairs and are asking for access to the building in order to talk about fire safety. The students agree that it is their policy not to let any outsiders into occupied space, but propose sending a mediator to receive their message.

The fire officials seem intent upon checking the room, stating that they have legal power of entry. Students are holding a meeting to decide an appropriate response.

17.45 This afternoon's planned lecture-swap with UCL has been cancelled because, according to the occupiers, "UCL Uni is being horrible to UCL Occupation."

Next up is dinner at 7pm. Occupiers have been meeting to discuss possible options going forward, although it is not clear at this time what these might be. The noise protest and the calls to "escalate" suggest occupiers might be looking to take a different approach in the face of the University's silence. But, again, no confirmed word on what such an approach might entail.

15.10 The occupiers are holding a 20-minute noise protest in response to the University ignoring their ultimatum. They are chanting from the windows, "Uni won't negotiate, we will escalate". Another banner says, "Time's Up Leszek" (referring to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Leszek Borysiewicz)

14.58 A banner has gone up saying, "Uni won't negotiate, we will escalate". However, the occupiers have not yet released an official statement regarding the University's lack of response to their 2.30pm deadline.

14.31 No response from the University. A smaller-than-usual discussion group is debating gender issues in regards to University funding for Sports.

14.20 Meanwhile, the "Cambridge Students Against Occupation" Facebook group, created by Gabriel Latner and Rob Mindell has attracted 476 members.

Mindell told Varsity, "It is these occupations and violent protests with their inflammatory rhetoric of 'f**k fees' and messages of similar sentiment that will now be the key factor in dissuading students from applying to university in future, not the change in fees themselves. Let's put the slogans and tag-lines to one side and concentrate on the actual effect of the proposed changes to higher education."

13.44 LATEST: The University has released a statement. According to a spokesman, "On Monday afternoon, the County Court issued an injunction and possession order against the occupiers of the Combination Room, on the ground they were unlawfully trespassing.  The University now awaits resolution of the matter.”

All signs point to the University not responding to the 2.30 pm deadline.

13.15 "We will take any failure to respond by 2.30pm as an indication of your refusal to negotiate." Cambridge Defend Education has just released a latest statement of demands (read full statement)

The demands are:

- that the University completely oppose cuts and fee increases;

- that the University fight for free education;

- that the University take steps to combat inequality of access;

- that the University declare it will never privatise;

- that the University commit to ensure the autonomy of education from corporate interests.

- that the University recognise UCU (University & College Union); and

- that the University ensure that no students who take part in any form of peaceful protest will face disciplinary action.

12.10 Meeting over. Students are eager to hear from the University this afternoon, although there is a general sense of tiredness and frustration.

12.01 The occupiers will send the University a statement (to be released shortly) that will re-iterate that the demands from the first day still stand. If the University does not respond by 14.30 this afternoon, the occupiers will assume that the University is not interested in negotiating. See previous public statement, released by the occupiers on Monday.

11.46 There is a feeling among some occupiers that they are being ignored, or that their message is not getting out to other students at Cambridge.

11.15 This morning's meeting had been delayed, and just started about 15 minutes ago. 48 people are present for the meeting, and six are on guard duty.

09.40 The schedule for the day is as follows:

10am - occupiers' meeting
11:30am - “In and Against the State – Institutional Sexism and How to Fight It”
1pm -An expert in the field talks about: how the University works (and how to work it)
2pm - We have requested a response from University management to our demands, we will either hear from them or discuss their refusal to engage.
Mid-afternoon - possible lecture-swap with UCL occupation–Dr Michael Sayeau, UCL English
7pm - dinner
9pm - “Freeing occupied space: understanding the immediate situation of our community” Workshop on theory and practice of direct action and reclaiming space.
Midnight - Ceileidh – from the cross-country occupation-hopping ceileidh band

09.26 The sixth day of the occupation begins on a quiet note. Some people are cleaning up the room (including cleaning up cigarette butts from in front of Old Schools building), while others are heading to lectures. A gift of four boxes of samosas has just arrived from the Market. According to reports, many sixth form students slept over last night.

00.10 A group of students from St Edmund's College (including the Acting President of the CR) voted earlier today in support of the occupation. The JCR Committees of Pembroke, King's, and Caius, have also voted to support the occupation. Peterhouse JCR voted against supporting the occupation (58% to 42%)

Tuesday 30th November (Day 5)

23.00 The atmosphere is relaxed, as some people are settling in to sleep, while others are watching a film - Battle of Algiers. There appear to be less people here tonight, compared to last night (although, one person notes that more are planning to come and sleep here).

22.30 The occupiers are currently trying to set up a skype conversation with the protestors at Leeds University. The skype has been delayed by the lack of wireless at Old Schools, which was turned off by the University yesterday afternoon. Occupiers are currently trying to set up an alternative connection.

22.00 Gents from John's arrive and set up a makeshift stage at the end of the room to sing Christmas carols and pop songs. Their rendition of 'Let it snow' is greeted with raucous applause as they launch into a performance of 'I get by with a little help from my friends.'

21.00 About two hundred people were present for an incredibly popular open mic poetry reading. Mood is relaxed.

20.30 Dinner is served - all is vegan - curry, rice dhal and pitta. The cook said "I swear to you this is better than you would get in any buttery." Varsity reporter confirms it is absolutely delicious.

20.19 Meeting is over. Poetry reading in half an hour.

20.00 Discussion are ongoing. atmosphere is not as tense as the previous evening, as there is a sense that the protest went well today.

19.30 There are at least 100 people in the room now. Around 20 sixth formers are still taking part and there are a few academics.

The discussion revolves around legal matters and what is next for the occupation. There is a will to enter into a dialogue with the University and the group expresses the opinion that support from academics will be needed whatever happens.

The group also grapples with the problem that due to the constantly changing demographic of the movement it is difficult to keep all members informed and not everybody knows about new policy.   

19.00 Room is filling up as more people arrive for this evening's meeting. Food supplies were running low but crisis has been averted thanks to a number of donations.

18.50 Another group meeting is being held. Around 50 people are present. This time discussion focuses around the use of sexist language by demonstrators, for example in slogans such as "Samantha Cameron we'll fuck David Cameron  just like he fucked up our country" and "David takes it up the bum" etc.

A statement is being drawn up by the group to condemn any racist, sexist and homophobic remarks being used in the movement.

17.00 Meeting has finished and occupiers are now focusing on the upcoming events this evening. There will be some stand up comedy, a poetry reading and a showing of the film Battle of Algiers. Some sixth form students are still there but a lot have gone home.

Discussion during the meeting centred on ways in which sixth formers could build links with University students and their campaign.

A spokesperson for the group told Varsity, "There were a lot of people in the room earlier, it was very loud and quite hard to move around. We had a  5 in 5 out policy on the door at one point, because after the protest ended there were a lot of sixth formers looking to get involved and it was hard to fit everyone in. Some people ran about on the lawn, so it was great they could expend their energy in that way.

"There were 7 police guards on the front gate and the police had called in 3 riot vans. The presence of police and security guards obviously made people a bit twitchy and nervous, but it was good nothing really happened.

"Once the discussion got going people were really putting a lot of energy into it. There were some really great connections happening."

15.30 Meeting is taking place in the SCR to discuss post-occupation strategy. There are around 70 people there, and the occupiers have been joined by a large number of sixth form students who are actively engaging in the discussion.

14.00 Varsity spoke to Juan Zober de Francisco, former King's JCR President about life in the occupation. He said, "It's interesting people have been coupling up more - it's not clear if it's just because of the cold." When asked if anyone had had sex in here, he said, "no comment."

13.30 Varsity can report that a window has been smashed, but it is not clear where or by whom. Occupiers have set up a bucket collection outside the gate, asking for donations to cover the cost of replacing the window.

There are rumours that the broken window was caused by a rogue snowball, and was not a deliberate act.

13.25 Sixth Formers are holding a meeting in the centre of the Senate House Lawn to discuss what their aims are.

Sixth Formers have been told by those in the occupation that they are not allowed to smoke inside the occupation.

13.11 More than 200 demonstrators have congregated outside Senate House, and a crowd of sixth formers made their way down Senate House Passage with the intention of going into the occupation. Occupiers on the gate were regulating the number of people going in and out in an attempt to prevent a crush. There are some concerns about damage and occupiers are anxious that things don't get out of hand.

There are rumours that some sixth formers have been smoking inside the Old Schools, in contravention of the Occupation's safe space policy.

A number of demonstrators have moved away onto Senate House Lawn, where a snow ball fight is now taking place along with music and dancing.

13.05 Around 30-40 sixth formers have left the march and have entered Old Schools to join the occupation.

Charlotte Mayhew Goodwin, a student at Long Road Sixth Form college who has joined the occupation, told our Varsity reporter, "I think it's a bit of an outrage that poorer people may no longer be able to afford to go to University. EMA is what gets them through at the moment and now that's lost. I think it should be education for all, not only for the rich."

12.20pm Around 200 protestors have joined the demonstration which has just set off from Great St Mary's. The police have deployed 70-100 officers.

The majority of those taking part in the demonstration are sixth formers, but there are some protestors as young as 12. Our reporter spoke to a couple who were in Year 8 at Parkside School. They said their teachers weren't happy about them leaving school, but their parents had given them permission.

A few Cambridge students went out to join the march, but most have remained inside Old Schools, and some came out onto the Senate House Lawn with banners to cheer on the crowd.

11.45am So far around ten policemen are stationed around the Senate House and in front of Great St Mary's, but more are arriving in preparation for the demonstration scheduled to begin at 12pm today. It is expected that most of those taking part will be sixth formers who have organised a walk-out as part of the national student demonstration.

A couple of policemen have been seen chatting with occupiers stationed at the gate. Relations appear to be friendly. The police have not attempted to remove the occupiers and say they are there to keep order at the demonstration (although some of the students are worried there may be ulterior motives). Some proctors are present,  but only to make sure everyone stays safe.

10.00am About ten protestors have just taken part in an hour long yoga session and the atmosphere is calm.

The night passed quietly, apart from a fire alarm which went off in a nearby building at about 3am, causing some concern among the group that this was a deliberate tactic by the University. However, Varsity can confirm that this was a routine check and the University had agreed not to use the alarm except in an emergency.

Protestors sleeping in the hallway were moved back into the room by porters early this morning.

1.25am Evening has been very relaxed as a few people gathered to watch the movie while others huddled over laptops writing essays.

Just as people were preparing to turn in for the night an announcement was made informing occupiers that academics were preparing to arrive tomorrow morning in full academic dress to show support for the group, should the University attempt to evict them. A few protestors sat down to have a discussion about plans for the morning. There was some uncertainty about what action would be taken, but the general feeling was one of solidarity and that the group would cope with events as they took place.

The number of academics supporting the occupation now exceeds 200. See full list of signatories.

Monday 29th November (Day 4)

10.28pm Lights dimmed as everyone settles down to watch a movie

10.15pm Cambridge Defend Education releases another statement outlining its plans resist the University’s eviction following the University’s failure to negotiate with them

9pm The CUSU Council have just passed two motions in support of the occupation.

The first motion pledged to 'support the demonstration' and 'assist with any future demonstrations against the cuts in Cambridge'. The second resolved 'to publicly support the continued occupation of the University Combination Room in the Old Schools', to 'support executive officers who wish to take part in the occupation in an official capacity', and to 'represent any student who faces disciplinary action as a result of the occupation'.

Some concern was apparent among certain college representatives at the meeting about whether it would be wise for the CUSU to support all of the goals of the occupants. Others responded that to support the protest would simply be fulfilling the existing CUSU commitments to free education.

Adam Booth, a protestor, who argued in the meeting for the passing of the motions, said afterwards that he was generally happy that they had passed. He was however, disappointed at the removal of two resolves from the first motion: that which condemned police violence against peaceful protestors, and another which sought to 'co-ordinate with all trade unions at Cambridge University in order to organise for the ballot a one-day university-wide strike by staff and students in Lent Term'. Booth said that one strike would be 'better than ten protests'; 'it's the only thing the university and the government will listen to ... we have to hit them where it hurts.'

8.25pm Groups of school students, about fourteen, have arrived as a part of the Woodcraft Folks Scouts movement for fourteen to sixteen year olds.

8.03pm Students settle down for dinner.  A yoga class is due to start and then a film (Terence Malick's Badlands)at nine.

7.57pm King’s College JCR votes in favour of occupation.

7:15pm Pembroke College students have voted in support of the occupation.

7.13pm Occupiers want to negotiate with the University before it tries to evicts them. Students are angry that the University hasn’t done so before the court case began.

7.06pm A proposal is passed that people on the door should inform which officials arrive but not what they say. There are a couple of academics present. The Union Society President is also present. Discussions continue on how long the occupation should last and regarding legal tactics for delaying university action.

6.50pm At least three hundred people have arrived to show support. There are ongoing discussions about what the group will do next. The atmosphere is tense.

5.40pm Aaron Porter, NUS President, has said that he cannot provide the occupation with financial and legal aid, contrary to his recent pledge to protesting students at University College London (UCL). Students at the occupation have resolved to place additional pressure on him to fulfil his pledge.

5.12pm Proctors have just arrived at the front gate are requesting to speak to the students who were representatives in court. The occupiers, who are still holding a meeting, have agreed not to communicate with them or allow them into the main room.

5pm A University spokesman said: “While the University hopes for a peaceful and consensual end to the occupation of the Combination Room by students who are trespassing on University property, legal means have been pursued to control the situation. There was a hearing at Cambridge County Court at 4pm today at which Judge Taylor granted the University a Possession Order and an injunction against the students. This means that any student remaining in the Combination Room from now on is in contempt of Court and committing a criminal act.”

4.50pm News has just come in that a possession order was served by the court on the understanding that the students were trespassing on University property. No comment was made regarding an injunction. Any comment about an injunction is both unreliable and unconfirmed. The numbers at the occupation have doubled as more students have arrived after this afternoon’s events. Students are currently waiting the arrival of student representatives back from the county court. On their arrival a meeting will be held to decide whether students will stay in occupation or walk out collectively.

3.25pm Occupiers have requested that journalists leave the building while they discuss legal matters ahead of the court case at 4pm.

3.16pm Legal research group has now been set up in preparation for the court hearing at four. The atmosphere is tenses and serious, as several more students have just turned up at the occupation to express solidarity. The emergency meeting is ongoing as students discuss whether to attend court and how to construct a case in defence.

3.00pm Students have been invited to attend a court hearing at four at the county court. The hearing has been called by the university in order to request an injunction. Each party will be given a chance to address the court, and the occupiers, as the defensive party, will get the chance to make the closing statement. Students have called an emergency meeting in order to determine who to send to the hearing.

Varsity can also confirm that the disconnection of the internet by the university computing service has been carried out in response to University’s orders.

2.30pm A man in a high visibility jacket has been overheard telling the proctors that forty men were being called down to the occupation, ‘one per student’, and proctors have also asked to look inside the occupied site, presumably to check the number of occupiers. Students are currently calling friends in an attempt to double their numbers, and academics inside the building have been asked to take a supportive role in the event of a forceful eviction.

2.15pm Cambridge Defend Education issues a public statement.

2.00pm Internt access to the Old Schools Building has beet cut in an act that occupiers are callling 'sabotage'. The students gathered there feel that the removal of internet access is a direct challenge to cutting off a connection between the events in Old Schools and the media.

1.15pm The students are now currently gathering to listen to Dr Larry King give a talk on 'Privatisation and Neoliberalism'."

12.30pm Students have been discussing the wording of the official statement for over forty-five minutes now, and there is a feeling of frustration as the
debate is perceived to have reached a stand-still. Someone proposes a
full-length discussion of the democratic process in another meeting tonight, a
proposition which is met with widespread agreement.

12.00pm The meeting continues. Jordan Savage gives the group practical advice on facilitating and participating in meetings. She suggests numbering people with their hands up to ensure fairness, splitting into smaller working groups during meetings, and writing agenda points down before meetings to make them more efficient.

Juliet Sharpe, the President of Lucy Cavendish Student Union, speaks briefly about how the occupation is using CUSU and JCRs for support. A vote is taken to decide whether to formally invite all JCR Presidents to the occupation and ask them to support the students in occupation by assisting them with academic and disciplinary concerns. The proposition clearly passes.

There is a discussion as to whether the journalists should remain in the room whilst students talk about their official statement to the University. The group resolves to tell cameramen to turn their cameras off whilst the statement is discussed, partially because it is still a work in progress.

11.00am The students are holding a meeting which has been interrupted by the arrival of journalists from the BBC and ITV. The meeting is now being filmed and interviews are being conducted.

9.30am A meeting was held at around to determine whether the canteen space on site should be continue to be used by staff as a commercial tea room. Concerns were raised that workers may not get paid for the period in which the tea room would be closed. The students agreed not to let staff use the canteen commercially, but resolved to talk to the workers to ensure that they would continue to earn their wages as usual. If it transpired that the staff were losing any of their pay, the occupiers decided that they would set up a fund to cover any wages lost.

9.00am People have been slowly waking up for the past hour, and now only a couple of the occupiers remain in bed. The room has become very cold overnight, and a few people have come traipsing in covered in snow. Music is playing as students clear up the hall and do the washing up. A big flyering campaign has been planned this morning to encourage more people to get involved in the occupation and tuition fee protests.

Sunday 28th November (Day 3)

11:55pm Peterhouse students have voted against the occupation. In a referendum titled, "Do you support the occupation of the University Combination Room?", 58 per cent of students voted NO, while 42 per cent voted YES. In total, 99 votes were cast.

10:45pm There is much dancing and revelry. A first-year English student, who has been at the occupation for the last three nights describes the "really amazing atmosphere" here. A porter has arrived to complain that noise levels are making it difficult for students to work in the Gonville & Caius Library (adjacent to the Old Schools building).

10:20pm Rumours are circulating that Caius students may file a noise complaint unless the band is stopped.

10pm Students are given the password to a "multi-text" system allowing all protestors to contact the whole group in case they are needed.

There is now a performance by the Staircase Band. The band is late to start, but students are energized when they do. Dancers in top-hats and students eating out of saucepans completes the atmosphere.

9pm Students have gathered in a circle for a Legal Briefing, to discuss what procedures the University may use in order to evict people from the premises and to advise people on how to respond. Someone asserts that the University may issue a possession order or an injunction, and states that in the case of an injunction, legal obligation depends on whether the contents of the injunction have been seen or heard by the occupant.

He also clarifies that a possession order only states that police can use 'reasonable force' to remove students from the area, and says that resisting this force in a non-violent manner is not directly in breach of the law.

7:45pm There is a charged atmosphere at the occupation as students tuck into their meals after the public meeting. Dr Priya Gopal, Dean of Churchill College, is discussing the occupation with the protesters on Skype. She has set up a petition to gain support for the occupation from other academics, and she tells the students that she has collected around 150 signatures in two days. She also describes the student protests in Cambridge as a "fantastic achievement", adding, "If nothing else comes out of this, you have done a great job of energizing academics... there is overwhelming support for your cause".

There is a positive response, and students cheer and clap at some of her comments. When asked how their spirits are, the students yell "Good!" in unison.

7:20pm Public meeting ended a little while ago. Roughly eighty protestors were present. Also present were Cambridge Economic Historian, Dr. Simon Szreter and a trade union representative. The meeting is organised democratically, with participants raising their hands to speak and expressing their views of what is being said through arranged hand gestures.

The agenda is formulated by various protestors' suggestions and includes: plans for a protest outside Great St. Mary's church on Tuesday morning, how best to attract support from local sixth form students and local businesses, legal issues and security. The meeting votes on whether and when to make a public statement and decides for a working group to discuss it in more detail later in the evening.

One student cites the 120 or so Cambridge academics willing to lend their support to the occupation. Another protestor then reads from her phone a message of solidarity from former Cambridge Regius Professor of Modern History, Quentin Skinner. Skinner says that he is writing an article for national press to be published this week on the subject of student fees in an effort to "carry the campaign into enemy territory".

6:55pm Renowned American academic Noam Chomsky has expressed support for the student occupation.

6:10pm Cooking is underway for tonight's meal. Four people are cooking for the group of 100-or-so students expected to be at the "Dinner with Priya Gopal" event at 7 pm tonight, in which proterstors will speak to Dr Priyamvada Gopal (Dean of Churchill College) via Skype. Dr Gopal spoke to Varsity earlier about the occupation.

The cooking is taking place in King's College Staircase A. On the menu tonight is dal, curry, lentils, rice, and potatoes. Some of the food has been donated by vendors from the Market. One of the cooks tells Varsity, "We did get some funny looks as we trudged from Old Schools to King's, laden down with sacks and pans, although the King's gatekeeper's expression indicated he'd seen it all before".

5:45pm Over 120 academics so far have signed a letter sent to the Vice-Chancellor expressing support for the occupation. See full list of signatories.

5pm The atmosphere inside is cheerful and relaxed, with many participants saying that the full timetable of events has made it a more enjoyable experience. Jacob Wills, a student organizer, said that he was "pleased with the amount of people coming through the space. There are lots of new faces, and we're hoping to see a lot more people tonight." Next up is a public meeting at 6pm.

2:20pm Prof Drayton has just finished fifty years of economic history in an hour, and for economic iliterates to boot.  He explained that the economic miracle of the post war decades was a Keynsian one; dependent on an active state, an interventionist economic policy, strong welfare and labour laws.  The current crisis, on the other hand, was caused by the deliberate erosion of this economic system by neoliberals, which resulted in the economy becoming dominated by a particularly inane and dangerous form of unregulated banking, which imploded spectacularly.  He argued that the government's response should be to spend, not to cut, and that cutting now will only reduce economic growth.

1:45pm Professor Richard Drayton from Kings College London is currently speaking. His talk is being filmed, and the occupiers say they will release an edited video of his talk later today on their Facebook page.

12:15pm More and more people are arriving. People are eating cheese and tomato sandwiches. The UK UNCUT workshop is going on.

11:45am Professor Geuss is speaking. A brief summary of his arguments by one of the occupiers:

'Political action is characterised by a permanent antagonism between working within the status quo to appeal to entrenched powers, and going beyond the status quo in order to fundamentally reshape events and structures. Student activists must walk the tightrope between appealing to popular views now, and articulating more thorough-going reconceptualisations of how the world should be. In the short-term, talking of student "rights" (independent of wider society) may be relatively successful, but in the longer term students and protestors will only succeed if they change the status quo into one of putting society and collective protection first, replacing the language of individual isolation and competition.'

10:57am People are being encouraged to invite their friends to the occupation, because on day three 'there are a lot of old faces'. Need to encourage people to stay over tonight.

10:55am There has been a leak. It seems that the Proctors are currently blocking the eviction of the occupiers, but that 'there are people high up in the University who are very intent on getting us out as soon as possible'.

10:51am Warning that the security guards and proctors are often ex-police and ex-military, and so, if something does happen tomorrow, people need to be aware of professional confusing tactics, such as taking photographs of the protestors.

10:40am Discussion about tomorrow. Because tomorrow is a working day, it is probable that the University will enter the building to use their offices. There is concern about possible attempts to evict the occupiers tomorrow. Items of direct action, planned resistance and displays of strength are passed around the circle. All of this will be discussed later. The students are reminded that there will be non-violent direct action training later today. It seems that tomorrow morning everybody will be on high alert.

10:35am The safe-space motion has been passed.

In other news, disqualified Union election candidate Gabriel Latner begun a ‘Cambridge Students AGAINST the occupation’ Facebook public event at 5am this morning. With the tagline, 'Everywhere common sense prevails', so far twenty-one people are attending.

10am The morning meeting begins. The occupiers are discussing turning the occupation into a Safe-Space