Liberty is in court defending the right to protest.
Posted: 21st March 2025
Today, we are in court defending the right to protest.
Cambridge University is asking the Court to grant an injunction that would amount to a ban on pro-Palestine protest on campus until the end of July 2025. This is a dangerous threat to freedom of expression on campus. We are intervening in this legal case to stop this attempt to silence students and essentially criminalise protest on campus.
Originally, Cambridge University wanted to ban students protesting on campus for five years! But, following an intervention from the European Legal Support Center, which Liberty supported alongside the UN Special Rapporteur for protest rights, they decreased the proposed injunction to five months instead. This is still not good enough.
We all deserve to express our views and stand up for what we believe in. The UK has a rich history of student protests and activism, bringing about change both within their universities and in wider society. We need to protect this right.That’s why our legal team will be arguing in Court today that greater safeguards are needed to protect students from these overly broad protest bans.
Also, have you seen the campus edition of our Practical Protest Guide? If you are a student or know any students who may want tips on how to stay safe when protesting at university, check out our downloadable guide here.
Liberty was founded in 1934 to protect the rights of protesters. More than 90 years later, we still proudly campaign to make sure everyone can safely stand up to power in the UK. We will send updates on the case very soon!
Best Wishes,
Katy Watts