Gaza protest relocates outside graduation hall

Palestinian flags were draped from the Grade II listed urn in the centre of the lawn

A protest at the University of Cambridge against the war in Gaza has spread to the lawn where graduation ceremonies are due to take place this weekend.

Demonstrators set up camp outside King's College last week but are now outside Senate House, where students have graduated since the 18th Century.

Ceremonies are planned for Friday and Saturday.

The university said it supported "protest within the law" and said it was happy to "engage" with students.

Palestinian flags were draped from the Grade II listed urn in the centre of the lawn.

A white sheet was fixed below it which read "welcome to liberated zone" and a "please keep off the grass" sign was modified so it read "please keep off Palestine".

A banner was taped to the doors of Senate House which read "Refaat's house".

The writer and literary scholar Refaat Alareer, a former student of University College London, was killed in an air strike in Gaza City in December.

The University of Cambridge said it was committed to freedom of speech

Prof Bhaskar Vira, pro-vice-chancellor for education at the university, said in a statement that it had been in "ongoing contact" with students impacted by the "tragic events in Gaza and Palestine".

"We have been extremely clear that we would be happy to talk with our students and engage with them," he said.

"To date we have received only anonymous emails.

"We remain ready for constructive engagement with our students, but it is impossible to have a conversation with an anonymous group."

He added: "We support freedom of speech and protest within the law."

A Cambridge student, who did not wish to be named, said last week that protesters were demanding the university "disclose all of its research collaborations and financial ties with companies and institutions complicit in Israel's genocide and then to divest from these".

"We will be staying here until our demands are met," she said.