Yellow ribbons for hostage solidarity appear in Cambridge overnight

Yellow ribbons were tied to the fences in front of King’s College

The ribbons appeared at six UK universitiesAnonymous with permission for Varsity

by Maria Eduarda Paixao

Tuesday February 4 2025, 9:11pm

Yellow ribbons were placed across six UK University campuses overnight from 2 to 3 February.

The Pro-Israeli Union of Jewish Students stated this was done at Cambridge, Birmingham, Leeds, Sussex, Nottingham, and Exeter to “maintain awareness for the hostages still held by Hamas”.

In Cambridge, the ribbons were tied onto the fences in front of King’s College, the same location as pro-Palestinian protests over the last year.

Sami Berkoff, the UJS president, commented: “It is clear that Jewish students are not alone in fighting to keep awareness of the plight of the hostages in Gaza present amongst the campus conversations about this war.”

“We must keep campaigning and raising awareness until every hostage is returned home,” Berkoff continued.

The UJS chief executive, Arieh Miller, also responded to the installation, stating: “We can and should be proud of this generation of students for undertaking this kind of non-offensive, non-disruptive direct action in support of the campaign to bring home the hostages from Gaza.”

Pro-Palestine protesters gather for vigil outside Trinity

“It has been 485 days since they have seen or spoken with their families, their friends, and their community. We cannot live in a world where their plight loses momentum until every one of them is home,” she added.

Miller continued: “It is abundantly clear that Jewish students will not be silent on the issue of the hostages.”

Previously, around 100 students and members of the public gathered on King’s Parade for a candlelight vigil to mourn the lives lost following the 7 October attacks in 2023.

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