Four-month protest injunction granted to University of Cambridge at High Court
The granting of a High Court order blocking pro-Palestinian protests at two University of Cambridge sites “sets a dangerous precedent”, a spokesperson for Liberty said after the ruling on Friday.
The university returned to the High Court on Wednesday (19 March) for the start of its case following a setback last month when a judge had dismissed its request for a five-year injunction blocking direct action related to Israel’s activities in Gaza unless the action had the university’s consent.
The success of the new application for a shorter duration prevents protesters from disrupting graduation events up to 26 July, the final ceremony of the academic year.
Lawyers for the university told the court in London that in 2024 pro-Palestine protesters staged demonstrations at Senate House Yard and Greenwich House, which “forced” a graduation ceremony to be moved.
Myriam Stacey KC, for the university, told the hearing there is a “real and imminent risk” of further action on campus, with protesters saying “we will be back” after leaving Senate House Yard at the end of November.
She said the protesters appeared to be mostly affiliated with the group Cambridge for Palestine, whose stated aims online include for the university to “divest from institutions and companies complicit in the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine”.
She told the court: “It is the activity we are seeking to stop, not the viewpoint. It is legally irrelevant who is doing this. It is what they are doing that we object to.”
Ms Stacey continued in written submissions that the university sought to prohibit protesters from entering, occupying or remaining on the sites for direct action without its consent, directly blocking access to the sites, or erecting or placing structures on them, such as tents or sleeping equipment.
The European Legal Support Center (ELSC) opposed the university’s bid, with its lawyers telling the court the injunction is a “disproportionate infringement” on the human rights of the protesters and would set a “dangerous precedent” for protesting on campuses.
Owen Greenhall, for ELSC, said in written submissions the university was discriminating against the “race and/or political belief” of protesters as it was only after pro-Palestine actions that it began seeking an injunction, allowing other demonstrations such as those for Ukraine or industrial action.
But in the ruling yesterday (21March), Mr Justice Soole granted the injunction, stating there is an “imminent and real risk of a recurrence” of direct action on the campus and a “strong probability that this will otherwise occur” if the order is not issued.
He said: “I am satisfied that there is a compelling need for the granting of an injunction.”
He added the “proposed terms are the minimum necessary in the circumstances”.
Following the ruling, the University of Cambridge issued a statement which noted that taking the issue to the High Court “was never about preventing lawful protest”. It added: “The injunction safeguards a very small part of the university estate from an occupation that would prevent graduations from going ahead.”
Ruth Ehrlich, head of advocacy and campaigns at Liberty, which also intervened in the case, said: “Today’s judgment sets a dangerous precedent which will severely restrict protest rights on campus.
“Students have long been at the forefront of movements for social change, whether in opposing apartheid or rising tuition fees. It is not right that universities are curbing students’ ability to do so, and creating a hostile space for people simply trying to make their voices heard.
“We urge universities to allow students to speak up for what they believe in on campus, and to protect the right to protest.”
A Cambridge for Palestine spokesperson said it “condemns” the decision, which it described as “a violent move to criminalise and police our movement”.
