Over 250 people have signed an open letter calling for the newly-elected Cambridge Chancellor to “name the genocide and publicly condemn Israel’s intentional starvation of Palestinians in Gaza”.

On Sunday (17/08), activist groups Cambridge for Palestine (C4P) and Cambridge University Palestine Solidarity Society shared on Instagram a letter to Lord Chris Smith of Finsbury, who was elected Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in late July.

In the letter, campaigners stated: “The newly-elected Chancellor – as your staff, students, and community, we call on you to name the mass starvation and genocide in Palestine.

“We call on Lord smith to speak out, and to do so in his capacity as holding the highest office at the University of Cambridge. Lord Smith must name the genocide and publicly condemn Israel’s intentional starvation of Palestinians in Gaza,” they continued.

It also urged Smith to “intercede” on behalf of Gazan students holding offers to UK Universities, through “requesting that the Government help evacuate these students to safety and study in the UK”.

Malak Hani, who currently holds an offer to study at Downing College from this Autumn but who is unable to meet UK visa requirements, is specifically referenced in the letter.

Closures of exit routes and visa offices in Gaza have left her unable to provide the required biometric data.

Ahmed, another Cambridge offer-holder in Gaza, told Varsity earlier this week that “our daily routine is trying to stay alive,” as he makes daily journeys to find aid.

The post urged Cambridge staff, students, and residents to sign the letter via Google Forms.

This demand follows a similar open letter published earlier this week from the Cambridge SU to multiple UK Government ministers, which pressured the UK government to take “immediate action” to aid over 40 Gazan students unable to take up scholarships to study at UK universities.

The SU’s letter has received signatures from over 75 student unions across the UK, a total of over 200 sabbatical officers.

The new Chancellor should also “support and accelerate the existing efforts towards divestment following the Grace passed last year,” the letter concludes.

Last July, 165 academics signed a Grace which demanded Cambridge University’s full disclosure of all direct and indirect investments in “companies whose business is concerned with the arms industry”.

This June, Varsity reported Cambridge’s working group on divestment, made up of University figures and students, was hoping to present its findings by the end of the summer.

Smith has voiced support for the University’s year-long extension on the initial four-month protest injunction, aimed at blocking pro-Palestine protests on parts of its campus.

Speaking on the injunction’s recent extension last month, he told The Times: “The important thing is to balance the crucial nature of free speech and the right to protest and to balance that with the right of students to graduate and to be able to carry on with their work undisturbed.”

The Chancellor sits on the Board of Patrons for the Cambridge Centre for Palestine Studies, according to their website.

In 2021, as Master of Pembroke College, Smith oversaw the College’s full divestment from fossil fuels, in response to an open letter submitted by college societies and alumni.

Ealier this month, a University spokesperson told Varsity: “The University is working tirelessly to help these students find a safe route out of Gaza. We are in regular contact with government officials and have raised it at the highest levels of the Home Office and Foreign Office.”

Lord Smith was contacted for comment, but is currently away travelling, according to the University of Cambridge.