Pro-Palestine activists spray-paint Cambridge University’s Old Schools building, calling for divestment from companies linked to Israel’s military amid ongoing Gaza conflict. [Getty]
Anti-war students teamed up with a prominent pro-Palestine activist group to spray-paint one of Cambridge University’s historic buildings, in protest at the prestigious university’s continued investment in organisations linked to the Israeli military.
On Tuesday, protesters, alongside members of Palestine Action, gathered on the university campus to protest Israel’s indiscriminate war on Gaza, which killed over 61,000 people, covering the Old Schools building with blood-red paint and writing slogans such as “divest.”
The group pointed out that Cambridge University currently has research partnerships with Israeli institutions.
This latest act of protest follows an injunction granted by the UK High Court last week, which would prevent pro-Palestine demonstrations from disrupting a graduation ceremony. This has led to rights campaigners expressing concern that it could suppress voices of criticism regarding Israeli actions.
“Each life lost in Palestine is a human being with dreams, loved ones, and a future stolen. As long as the university continues to profit from violence, we will continue to take action in solidarity with Palestinians who endure daily oppression and destruction,” a Palestine Action spokesperson said.
“Now is the time to act. The university must understand that its profits from war crimes will never outweigh the damage done to its reputation and bottom line.”
The activist group said protesters aimed to receive full transparency over the university’s investments and called for an immediate divestment from “companies complicit in war crimes and the Israeli apartheid regime.”
Cambridge University has since denounced the move in a statement. Cambridgeshire Live reported on Wednesday that police confirmed a crime alert regarding criminal damage.
Last year, protesters spray-painted the University’s Senate House, a building used for graduation ceremonies, accusing the institution of funding and enabling the 16-month Israeli war on the devastated Palestinian territory.
They also accused Cambridge of investing “in weapons companies and research partnerships enabling and normalising the UK/US-backed Palestinian genocide.”
According to the student-led coalition Cambridge for Palestine in 2024, at least three out of the university’s 31 colleges have invested £17 million in companies linked to Israel’s attacks on Palestine, such as Caterpillar, Elbit Systems, and Lockheed Martin.
The actual figure is believed to be much higher, but the university has not fully disclosed the extent of its investments, according to Cambridge for Palestine.
The group previously organised protests following the outbreak of the Gaza war on 7 October 2023, joining student-led demonstrations that also took place at other university campuses nationwide and internationally.
