Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted graduations today (30/11), following the re-occupation of the Senate House lawn earlier this week.

Around 50 people, including members of Cambridge for Palestine (C4P) alongside other student and union groups, staged a protest on King’s Parade as graduands lined up across the street to graduate at Great St Mary’s Church.

Graduations had been scheduled to take place in Senate House this morning, but were moved after pro-Palestinian protesters re-occupied the lawn on Wednesday morning.

The move was made “to minimise the risk of disruption,” according to an email seen by Varsity, but graduands said the protest could still be heard inside the church.

When asked whether the graduation was disrupted, one graduate stated, “of course it was, you could definitely hear it”. Another told Varsity they could hear the drums from inside, but did not express frustration about the protest. “I don’t care at all, I would normally be around here if I wasn’t [graduating]”, he said, pointing to the students on King’s Parade.

Parents watching their children graduate also stated their ambivalence over the disruption. One stated: “We’re sympathetic to both causes, we think [students] should be able to graduate but we also support Gaza”.

One protester stated that: “Our problem is not with the students, it’s with the University”, accusing Cambridge of being “complicit in the genocide”. They congratulated students at the encampment on Senate House lawn for their “valiant actions,” and condemned the University for having “negotiated in bad faith”.

Earlier this month, C4P claimed the University had “stalled” in its commitments to students, “erased” Palestine from its review of arms ties, and “weaponised bureaucracy to reduce student power”. They accused Cambridge of “breaking” the agreement which led to the dismantling of the encampment in Easter term.

This came shortly after Varsity revealed that Trinity had backtracked on its commitment to divest from arms. Despite promises made last term, the Master of Trinity, Dame Sally Davies, told students the College had “no interest in divesting from arms companies”.

“Now is the time to keep going,” students said this morning. “We will not stop. How many more Rwandas, Bosnias, Holocausts, will we sit by and watch?” they asked.

A healthcare worker at the University's hospital trust stated that Cambridge’s actions go “beyond complicity”, and that it is “actively taking part”. He added, referring to the University, “this institution needs to crumble and be rebuilt again”.

One student, who was scheduled to graduate today, told Varsity they could “attest to general feelings of utter devastation and pain, especially among working-class home and international students who’ve paid significant amounts of money to get here”.

“My working class American family spent every single extra dime they had to come over here for grad[uation], just to have it ripped away,” they explained. They stated that this is “because the uni is choosing not to remove the protesters, or negotiate”.

Cambridge for Palestine and the University of Cambridge were contacted for comment.