Cambridge For Palestine (C4P) has set up a new encampment outside the Senate House building, in an escalation of their previous actions.

The move comes after the University failed to meet protesters’ demands to open negotiations with C4P last night (14/05).

C4P is demanding that Cambridge discloses its financial ties to Israel, divest from companies involved in supplying arms to the conflict in Gaza, and offer protection to displaced Palestinian students. 

Activists were seen climbing the fences surrounding Senate House early this morning and moving in new tents onto the lawn outside Senate House.

Senate House is the University's central management building and is where graduations are held, including one scheduled for this Friday. 

The protesters have said that they will not move from the site until university leadership agrees to sit down with students to discuss their demands. 

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the University have entered their ninth day, with students camping outside King’s College, to campaign against the University’s financial ties to the conflict in Gaza.

This action also comes on the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, the forced displacement of 750,000 Palestinians by Israeli forces.

The site has been labelled a “liberated zone” by C4P, who have attached Palestinian flags and banners to the building, accusing the University of being complicit in the “Genocidal Nakba since 1948”.

Protesters altered University signs which originally read “Please keep off the grass” into “Please keep off Palestine”.

The pro-vice-chancellor for education, Professor Bhaskara-Vira and pro-vice-chancellor for University community and engagement, Professor Kamal Munir, were spotted monitoring the site from King’s Parade.

Yesterday, the two pro-vice-chancellors took an open letter from academics which announces staff support for C4P’s demands. Last week, the pro-vice-chancellors recieved the activists' demands in person after hundreds of students marched to Old Schools from the encampment at King’s.

C4P is due to hold a rally at midday today, and a sit-in at 2pm. 

Professor Vira told Varsity: “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,” he said.

“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,” he continued.