Student members of activist group Cambridge for Palestine (C4P) occupied Greenwich House, a University administrative building, earlier this evening (22/11), and are currently inside the building.

In an Instagram post, the group stated: “Cambridge University is not only known to invest in weapons manufacturing companies involved in genocide, but also takes part in research collaborations aimed at developing the weapons and AI systems used to oppress and ethnically cleanse Palestine.”

C4P also drew attention to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) recent arrest warrant against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister, Yoav Gallant.

The protest group has made a list of demands of the University, stating that failure to comply “will only result in escalation”.

These demands include requesting the University to “publicly condemn the genocide of the Palestinian people,” “meet with all 12 elected members of the task force and accept a chair that [C4P] select,” and that the University “immediately carry out an aggregate analysis of its investments”.

C4P also stated that the University is “breaking parts of the negotiated agreement it had with Cambridge for Palestine,” referring to the pledge to review its arms investments in July after pressure from students to divest from arms companies. As part of this agreement, the University also agreed for student representatives to be involved in a “student-led taskforce”.

Today, C4P accused the University of “stalling negotiations” with their elected task force and limiting the number of C4P representatives in the joint working group with administration. They also accused the University of “seeking to weaken the demands made by C4P by conflating the working group with a separate, faculty-led motion that is less extensive in its scope to end University complicity.”

Cambridge has admitted to delays in reviewing its defence investments, with deadlines for findings pushed back from the end of Michaelmas 2024 to the end of the academic year.

On Sunday (17/11), the group also accused Trinity College of “betrayal”, after Varsity revealed that Cambridge’s richest college has maintained investments in multiple arms companies. This includes investments in Elbit Systems, a company which produces 85% of the drones and land-based equipment used by the Israeli army.

Following the University’s promise to review arms investments, C4P agreed to dismantle in early August, but has continued to hold pro-Palestine protests, with the most recent rally condemning COP29 held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Greenwich House, where the University’s finance, research operations, and public relations offices are located, has previously been occupied by climate activists in 2018.

Bailiffs forcibly removed student protesters from Zero Carbon Society who were occupying the building after a court order ruled the occupation illegal.

The University of Cambridge has been contacted for comment.