A group of about a dozen pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the Senate House on Friday morning (23/05) while graduation ceremonies were taking place.

One protester staged a ‘lock-on’ and attached himself with cable ties to the gates outside of Senate House on King's Parade. 

The protester, who identified himself as ‘Yasser’ covered himself in red paint and attached himself to the gates while students arrived to, and emerged from, their graduation ceremonies.

Through a megaphone, he declared: “Every single one of you is guilty of this genocide,” adding: “Everyone is guilty of this holocaust.”

He proceeded to accuse the University of “making profit from the murder of babies,” continuing: “You are complicit in the murder of my family.”

Yasser also described the University’s hands as “bloodied,” alleging that it is “guilty of murder”.

With red paint on his hands, he wrote the word “genocide” onto the gate in front of Senate House.

Further down King’s Parade, in front of King’s college, two protesters sat on a wall with Palestinian flags, playing through a speaker the names of Palestinians who have been killed during the Israel-Palestine conflict.

One of these protesters told Varsity that she was there “to protest genocide”.

Yasser told Varsity that the University of Cambridge is “investing in the holocaust of my people”. He explained that 15 of his family members had “perished” during the war, some of which he said had been “left bleeding” in hospital for more than a week, without proper medical care.

He specifically criticised Trinity College, stating: “We know Trinity have active investments,” saying of Master Dame Sally Davies: “She doesn’t care.”

Yasser also said of Cambridge colleges: “All they care about is their profit.”

He clarified to Varsity that the red paint was to symbolise blood, and said he would remain attached to the gates for “as long as it takes”.

Opposite Senate House there was a group of about ten protesters, waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags and chanting.

Their chants included: “Disclose. Divest. We will not stop. We will not rest,” and: “Shame, shame, shame. All the crimes in your name.” They also chanted: “Money for education, not for war and occupation.”

Among the protesters was University Chancellor candidate Tony Booth, who told Varsity: “The University has to be an ethical force.” He added that the University “cannot be investing a penny in the arms industry,” and stated: ”The University has to encourage all its colleges to be a voice to say ‘we will no longer invest in arms.’”

Two brief altercations took place between graduates and some of the protesters. 

Another protester told Varsity that, following King’s recent divestment announcement, it was clear that “it’s completely possible to disclose,” which he described as a “fantastic thing”. He added that there is “no excuse” for the University and Cambridge colleges to continue being “complicit in genocide”.

One speaker at the protest stated: “We do not want our University to have investments in arms companies and in companies which are complicit in genocide and war crimes around the world.”

She continued: “We are demanding that every other college at Cambridge and every university around the world divest.”

Police arrived at the protest and spoke to Yasser, though no action appeared to be taken against any of the protesters.

The University and Trinity College have been contacted for comment.