Magdalene College has this morning (24/06) evicted a pro-Palestine encampment which was established on its lawn on Saturday morning (21/06).

An injunction was served and two police officers arrived at around around 8 AM. The protesters were reportedly told by police to vacate the premises within five minutes and to collect their belongings from the College grounds by 10 AM, Varsity understands.

Metal fencing has been set up where the encampment was.

After their eviction, protesters were heard singing “You can’t fence off every piece of land.”

At 9:50 AM, College and external security staff placed the protesters’ belongings onto the street, with a member of staff telling the protesters they were now “responsible for [their] own belongings”.

At 10 AM, the protesters loaded a car with their belongings, which included flags, sleeping bags, and tarpaulins. They were also seen deflating the dinghies upon which they arrived when they first formed the encampment.

Cambridge for Palestine (C4P), the group responsible for the this encampment in addition to previous ones, says it targeted Magdalene because of several indirect “holdings in several companies complicit in the Israeli genocide including major arms companies such as Elbit Systems, Leonardo, BAE Systems and Palantir”.

C4P also alleged that the College had declined to disclose other investments in boycotted companies, saying there was a “lack of information” about these investments.

Today’s eviction comes after Trinity College and St John’s College successfully sought interim injunctions against protesters, following encampments on their respective lawns earlier this month. The injunctions will be reviewed by the High Court in the coming weeks.

When asked for comment, C4P stated that Magdalene College spent “thousands of pounds to hand our protesters an interim injunction and fence in their possessions, instead of looking to aid suffering Palestinians with that money”.

They further alleged that Magdalene had “previously admitted to supporting Israeli aggressions through investing in arms companies,” and added that the college, alongside Trinity and St John’s “has shown more concern for its lawns than the lives of the thousands of Palestinians who have been murdered by weapons they are funding.”

It is not clear whether the protesters will be forming a new encampment.

Magdalene has been contacted for comment.