Cambridge University college votes to divest from arms firms after Gaza protests

Cambridge University's King's College has announced it will be divesting from arms firms, following pro-Palestine protests and encampments on the campus.

The college said its governing body had voted to "adopt a new responsible investment policy", which it added was "prompted by the occupation of Ukraine and Palestinian territories".

Students had protested on campus for months, demanding that the university end its "complicity" in Israel's war on Gaza and "ethnic cleansing of Palestine".

"This is a positive result from a process that engaged voices from all areas of our community," said King's College provost Gillian Tett.

"I commend the members of the working group for their incredibly thoughtful engagement and deep commitment to work towards an approach that reflects the college's values and demonstrates our capacity to model transformation."

The new policy, which is set to be implemented before the end of the year, targets firms involved in activities "generally recognised as illegal or contravening global norms, such as occupation". It will also ensure that the college does not invest in weapons, nuclear warheads and restricted arms restricted by international treaties.

Stella Swain, Youth and Student Campaigns Officer at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), hailed the move as a "major victory".

"If King's College, at the heart of Cambridge, can finally listen to its students and divest from the arms industry and companies complicit in the illegal occupation of Palestine, then every university can act to ensure they are on the right side of history," Swain said.

The outbreak of Israel's latest war on Gaza in October 2023 unleashed a wave of student activism on campuses across Western states, most notably in the United States. 

University authorities have sought to clamp down on pro-Palestine activism, including at Cambridge, which obtained a High Court injunction that effectively bans pro-Palestinian protests on its campus until 26 July.

However, some student-led movements have managed to effect change.

Last year, Ireland's Trinity College Dublin moved to divest from Israeli firms "that have activities in the occupied Palestinian Territory and appear on the UN blacklist in this regard".

The University of Barcelona in Spain severed ties with Israel entirely, cutting institutional or academic relations with Israeli universities, research institutes and companies.