A letter has been sent to Vice-Chancellor of the University, urging him to clarify the University’s position after it was revealed that Cambridgeshire constabulary had approached an undergraduate to become an informer on the political activities of students. The letter has been signed by 130 senior members of the University, and can be read below:

November 18, 2013

Dear Vice-Chancellor,

We are writing to you with regard to the story published on the Guardian’s website on November 14, 2013 entitled “Police tried to spy on Cambridge students, footage shows.” (The link is available at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/14/police-cambridge-university-secret-footage [1]). Based on secret filming, the story indicates that Cambridgeshire Constabulary has engaged in covert surveillance of what one of its members terms “student-union type stuff.” Cambridge Defend Education, environmental groups and UK Uncut appear to have been among the groups targeted for highly invasive practices.

We know that as the head of an institution which is committed to protecting a diversity of legitimate and peaceful student activities, including political and social campaigning, you will share our grave concern at the level of intrusion that appears to be intended in such covert monitoring of legitimate activities. We cannot help but feel that the very threat of such unjustifiable surveillance will have a chilling effect on students involved in or hoping to join campaigning organisations. As teachers and researchers at this university committed to the highest standards of academic and personal freedom, we ask that you issue an official statement condemning such covert practices, which infringe the traditional boundaries of University self-governance, and call for an official explanation and apology from both the Home Office and from Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

We hope that you will make it clear that the University is in no way involved in supporting such practices.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Anne Alexander Dr Anna Alexandrova Dr Salim Al-Gilani Dr Lori Allen Dr Mete Atature Dr Hugues Azerad Dr Debby Banham Professor Basim Musallam Mr Bruce Beckles Dr Andrew Bell Dr Duncan Bell Dr Patricia Pires Boulhosa Dr Adrian Boutel Dr Deborah Bowman Dr Siobhan Braybrook Dr Brendan Burchell Professor Bill Burgwinkle Dr Catherine Burke Dr Christopher Burlinson Dr Sarah Cain Dr Adam Caulton Dr Jean Chothia Dr Mike Clark Dr David Clifford Dr Philip Connell Professor Helen Cooper Mr Tim Cribb Dr Jon Crowcroft Dr PJ Cunningham Dr Mark Darlow Dr Susan Daruvala Dr Christine Doddington Professor Brad Epps Dr Katrina Forrester Professor Alison Finch Dr Lorna Finlayson Dr Christophe Gagne Dr Sinead Garrigan-Mattar Professor Vic Gatrell Professor Raymond Geuss Dr Martin Golding Mr David Goode Professor Raymond Goldstein Dr Caroline Gonda Dr Priyamvada Gopal Professor Robert Gordon Dr Mia Gray Professor Nicholas Hammond Dr Fride Haugen Mr Ronald Haynes Dr Anita Herle Dr Adam Higazi Dr David Hillman Dr Edward Holberton Dr Alex Houen Dr Sarah Houghton-Walker Dr Sarah Howe Dr Jana Howlett Dr Michael Hrebeniak Dr MEJ Hughes Dr Joel Isaac Professor Mary Jacobus Dr Hubertus Jahn Dr Ian James Professor Simon Jarvis Dr Charles Jones Dr Ewan James Jones Professor Martin Jones Dr Alexandre Kabla Mrs Anny King Professor John Kinsella Professor Peter Kornicki Dr Mary Laven Dr Sian Lazar Professor Angela Leighton Dr Elisabeth Leedham-Green Dr Malachi Macintosh Professor Maria Manuel Lisboa Dr Raphael Lyne Dr Maryon McDonald Dr Robert Macfarlane Dr Jane McLarty Dr Laura McMahon Dr Leo Mellor Dr Roderick Mengham Dr Renaud Morieux Dr C W R D Moseley Prof Clément Mouhot Dr Drew Milne Dr Subha Mukherji Professor Basim Musallam Dr Eva Nanopoulos Dr Mary Newbould Dr Sebastian Nye Dr Rory O’Bryen Dr Roger O’Keefe Dr George Oppitz-Trotman Dr Fred Parker Dr Ian Patterson Dr Adriana Pesci Dr Brechtje Post Dr Robert Priest Mr Jeremy Prynne Dr James Purdon Dr Judy Quinn Dr Surabhi Ranganathan Dr Lucy Razzall Dr Nicky Reeves Dr John Regan Dr James Riley Dr John Robb Professor Ulinka Rublack Professor Simon Schaffer Dr Jason Scott-Warren Dr Sharath Srinivasan Dr Zoe Svendsen Dr Trudi Tate Dr Deborah Thom Professor David Trotter Dr Eva Urban Ms Isobel Urquhart Dr Vincenzo Vergiani Dr James Wade Dr Christopher Warnes Dr Ruth Watson Mr Steve Watts Dr Teresa Webber Dr Flora Willson Dr Ross Wilson Dr Hope Wolf Dr Oliver Wort Dr Nicky Zeeman Dr Andrew Zurcher