With student protests in the headlines over rising tuition fees, I thought I would delve back and see which issues fired up Cambridge students in the past, particularly the 1960s and 70s. Since then, student life in Cambridge seems to have been much quieter, barring the incident when a student threw a shoe at the Chinese prime minister last year.

Ian Kitching has recorded past student actions on his website, and they include protests at the cost of food and political challenges, as well as the famous Garden House Hotel riots.

Students in the late 60s and the70s
The late 1960s and 1970s era of student protest and its principal events.
1964
About 50 Emmanuel students delayed paying their college bill as a protest at the cost of food
June 1965
Vietnam protest banner hung between pinnacles of King’s College Chapel
November 1967
300 demonstrated when the American ambassador visited Churchill College
January 1969: Old Schools Sit-In
One of the Mill Lane Lecture rooms and the Grad Pad were occupied to show solidarity with the London School of Economics sit-in, then the protesters marched to the Old Schools and occupied the Council Room. They issued a statement demanding local changes such as gate hour reform and the end to University representation on the City Council.
February 1970 The Garden House Riot
A Greek Week was held, with support from the Colonels’ regime, local travel agents and the Royal Cambridge and Garden House Hotels. There was some minor trouble from demonstrators early in the week but on Friday evening about 400 demonstrators gathered at the Garden House. They picketed to dissuade people from going in to the Greek evening dinner. They also hoped to hear an exiled Greek deputy’s speech. It seems that some demonstrators went further, such as drumming on the windows. Police reinforcements arrived. Violence flared on both sides, the dinner was invaded and the River Suite room damaged. Around 10.30 Police dogs arrived and the violence ended. Six students were arrested. The Cambridge Evening News called it a riot, starting the journalistic hype. The Proctors were forced to give evidence at the ensuing trial of nine people for inciting riotous assembly. How those people were singled out (seemingly by the Proctors) caused resentment towards the Proctors for many years afterwards.
October 1970: Students’ Union meeting
Over 1500 attended to demand reform of the disciplinary system, resulting in an inquiry, whose slow deliberations caused disturbances.
1971
Students from elsewhere gained the right to vote in Cambridge.
1972 Stop Press founded as a radical student newspaper;
It merged with Varsity in 1975 as Stop Press With Varsity.
1972 Nursery Action Group founded.
1972 Old Schools sit-in (for 48 hours)
To gain representation in the CU decision-making process. In 1976 student observers were permitted on the Council of the Senate.
1973 Sit-in of Lady Mitchell Hall and the Economics Faculty
To protest at the lack of progress in student representation on the Economics Faculty Board and reform of the Economics Tripos.
1975 Senate House sit-in
By the Nursery Action Group to protest at the lack of nursery provision for staff and students. Provoked the formation of a joint CU/Nursery Action Group working party, which produced no real results at the time.
1976 University Library sit-in
Protesting at the evening closure (7pm instead of 10pm)
The early 70s era of student protest came to an end around 1976. For instance a group called Moderation arose, advocating moderation and even apathy.
By this time there was a clear distinction between the small groups of highly active political hacks and the the majority of students, who consciously chose to ridicule or at least ignore the hacks’ activities.
In the late 70s students campaigned mostly about the College kitchen fixed charges: the fixed amount charged by most Colleges towards the costs of kitchens – effectively the overheads. The cost of individual meals was low under this scheme. The point is that the high charge forced students to eat in College or waste money.
There was also a lesser campaign against the absurd gate hours of some Colleges (e.g. all members in by 10pm or midnight, not allowed out till 6am) and there were some rent strikes.
Another major issue was for a staff and student nursery – the high-profile Nursery Action Group.
The political hacks campaigned on national and international issues, such as Chilean human rights and persuading Colleges to disinvest from Barclays, due to alleged connections with South Africa, and to sell any South African investments.
Various College student unions (JCRs) occasionally disaffiliated from the National Union of Students and/or CUSU as a protest at what might be called in the Nineties loony left activities.