Cambridge, MINA – Students at the University of Cambridge have reestablished a protest encampment outside Trinity College, urging the institution to divest from arms manufacturers allegedly complicit in human rights violations in Gaza.
The demonstration, organized by the activist coalition Cambridge for Palestine (C4P), began on Friday, 30 May, according to Varsity, the university’s student-run newspaper. The group is demanding that the university withdraw its financial holdings from companies associated with Israel’s military campaign, which has been ongoing since 7 October 2023, The New Arab reported.
C4P alleges that Cambridge maintains investments in major weapons manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, and Boeing, corporations listed by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement as contributors to military operations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The current protest follows an earlier university pledge to reassess its investment strategies through a designated working group. However, C4P asserts that the review process has lacked transparency and resulted in negligible progress. The group further criticized increasingly repressive policies aimed at discouraging pro-Palestinian student activism.
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In a formal statement, C4P cited months of stagnation and growing disillusionment among students, faculty, and community members, particularly over the university’s failure to adopt a policy of ethical investment and responsible governance. The group also denounced Cambridge’s anti-protest measures, which they argue disproportionately target pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Activists have accused the university of excluding student voices from deliberations within the responsible investment working group. They previously established protest sites at Senate House Lawn and Greenwich House, Cambridge’s financial offices, to call attention to administrative stonewalling.
According to Varsity, university officials have taken legal action to prevent future encampments, justifying the move on the grounds of disrupting university functions. While the administration denies restricting freedom of assembly, protestors maintain that institutional resistance undermines academic freedom and civic engagement.
C4P outlined the following core demands:
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- Full financial transparency regarding the university’s investment portfolio,
- Immediate divestment from companies implicated in violations of international humanitarian law,
- Reinvestment in community-led and socially responsible initiatives, including support for Palestinian development.
The group also called for the revocation of restrictive protest regulations and the protection of academic freedom for all Cambridge affiliates, especially those engaged in political advocacy.
In mid-May, King’s College, one of Cambridge’s constituent colleges, became the first to publicly commit to full divestment from defense firms implicated in the war in Gaza. This decision followed a student survey showing overwhelming support for ethical investment and a widely endorsed open letter from students and academics.
C4P has cited King’s College’s precedent as evidence that broader institutional reform is achievable and expressed hope that the encampment at Trinity College will catalyze similar action.
The protest is part of a broader wave of campus activism across the UK and globally. In 2024, student-led encampments in solidarity with Gaza have expanded beyond Oxford and Cambridge to universities in Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Sheffield, and Newcastle, echoing the student protest movement seen across campuses in the United States.[]
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