Pro-Palestine protesters held an “emergency rally” at the Quayside, opposite the Magdalene College encampment, at 5PM today (21/6).

Porters and Magdalene fellows watched as around 40 protesters gathered for the rally, which lasted an hour.

Speakers at the event criticised Magdalene’s alleged investment in companies which they claimed were complicit in “genocide”. A speaker led the rally in chanting, “Hey, hey Magdalene, what are you hiding”.

This comes after Cambridge for Palestine (C4P), who earlier today established the encampment on Magdalene’s River Court, criticised the College for refusing to disclose whether it held investments in companies on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) list.

C4P also alleged that Magdalene has indirect “holdings in several companies complicit in the Israeli genocide including major arms companies such as Elbit Systems, Leonardo, BAE Systems and Palantir”.

Another speaker, who described herself as a Jewish student, criticised claims that the pro-Palestine protesters were anti-Semitic. She also claimed “Israel was only ever another form of the final solution”. This is in reference to the code name used by Nazi Germany to refer to its efforts to exterminate the Jewish people.

Protesters also chanted “we are all Palestine Action,” and a speaker praised the group’s attack on the RAF Brize Norton airbase. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, is set to proscribe the group as a terror organisation on Monday, in response to the attack. When the proscription takes effect, belonging to or expressing support for Palestine Action will become a criminal offense.

Passers-by expressed mixed views of the rally. One punt group shouted “Free Palestine” as the protest got underway, and people drinking at bars nearby could be heard clapping. However, punt touts, who offer tours starting from the Quayside, seemed less supportive, with one telling Varsity: “It’s annoying,” adding, “It’s lovely… but why can’t you do it for UK poverty”.

The rally ended with the last speaker urging protesters to join them at the Magdalene encampment.

Magdalene is the fourth college to face occupation by protesters since the October 7th attacks in 2023. The King’s College encampment disbanded last year after negotiations with the College and the University. This year, lawns belonging to Trinity and St John’s Colleges were occupied by protesters, who were removed when the Colleges obtained injunctions authorising their removal.

It is unclear whether the encampment, which blocks vehicular access to Magdalene’s First and Second Courts, will disrupt preparations for the College’s May Ball, set to take place next week (25/6).

At the time of publication, workers could be seen putting up fencing separating the College gardens from the river. The protesters who established the encampment used boats to circumvent Magdalene’s gates, which have been kept shut since the John’s encampment was cleared.

C4P said in a press release that they are demanding that Magdalene disclose its investments in, and divest from, “companies complicit in the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine”. It also demands that Magdalene “reinvest” in Palestinian communities, and “protect” students from “anti-protest policies”.

Magdalene College declined to comment. The University of Cambridge has been contacted for comment.