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Female nudity in art: pornographic or profound? pg.24
In conversation with Diane Abbott pg.10
Lasting love in Cambridge pg.20
No.932 Friday 21st February 2025 varsity.co.uk The Independent Student Newspaper since 1947
Uni requests encampment ban Hugh Jones Senior News Editor The University of Cambridge has applied for a High Court injunction prohibiting pro-Palestine protesters from occupying their head offices. If the University is successful, protesters will no longer be able to enter, occupy, or interfere with access to Senate House and its lawn, the Old Schools, and Greenwich House “for a purpose connected with the Palestine-Israel conflict.” A hearing has been scheduled for next Thursday (27/02). Protesters “may be held to be in contempt of court and may be imprisoned or fined or have [their] assets seized” if they breach the injunction, according to court documents. But, internal University discussions noted that the order does not “criminalise” further protests. According to the minutes of a meeting of senior University officials earlier this month, if the order is breached “it will then be a matter for the University to consider whether to institute proceedings for contempt of court against.” The University has consistently rejected suggestions that their response to the protests infringes on the activists’ freedom of protest. A spokesperson for the University previously told Varsity: “Any claim that the University is trying to restrict protest is ridiculous. There are many ways protests can take place and voices can be heard, but the actions we are taking will protect the right of other members of our community to graduate and for staff to carry out their work.” The University told the court that if occupations continued, the “irreparable harm” done to Cambridge and its stakeholders “cannot be adequately compensated in money”. According to a sworn statement by Emma Rampton, the University’s registrary, the occupations of Greenwich House and Senate House lawn last year cost the University
“at least £230 000”. This went towards additional security and the cleaning of Greenwich House after the occupation ended, including an electronic security sweep. It also included “substantial” legal costs related to the University’s application for an interim non-disclosure order against protesters who accessed confidential documents. The University also cited disruption to graduations caused by the Senate House occupation as justification for the order. In May 2024, the graduations of over 1,000 graduands, with over 2,700 guests, were disrupted when Cambridge for Palestine (C4P) occupied Senate House Yard, with ceremonies being moved into colleges. Last November, more than 500 graduands also had their degree ceremonies disrupted when the occupation restarted, forcing ceremonies into Great St Mary’s church. The University said that this disruption caused “significant stress” for University and college staff, and had a “significant adverse impact” on graduands and their guests. It warned that in the future it might not be able to source alternative buildings at short notice. Rampton also outlined the broader harm caused by last term’s occupation of Greenwich House. In particular, Rampton identified concerns about activists accessing confidential or commercially sensitive information while occupying the buildings, after activists were observed accessing restricted areas of Greenwich House, and opening and searching through locked cabinets. She noted that Cambridge generates a turnover of over £500 million each year from research grants, which could be jeopardised if the University cannot maintain its obligations to safeguard confidential information. These concerns led the University to seek and obtain High Court orders Continued on page 3 ▶
▲ Brian Chau
Inside ● Do you know your housekeeper’s name? pg.13 ●Women’s safety initiatives pg.14 ● Eye-conic graphic liner pg.22 ●