UK Education Newswire Archive
County Council chief shows true colours
03-12-2010 12:34
The bigotry of Oxfordshire County Councils chief was laid bare for all to see on the 30th November, when local freemason Councillor Keith Mitchell posted on his blog how he considered those 6th form students who invaded County Hall to be nothing more than "student rabble".Full article | 2 additions | 3 comments
Students at University of Sheffield Occupation Threatened With Court Injunction
03-12-2010 12:07
Protest Outside Sarah Teather's Surgery, Friday 5.30pm - Today
03-12-2010 08:52
Call out to demo outside surgery of Sarah Teather MP (Lib Dem for Brent Central) and Minister for Children and Families. Previously very supportive of axing all fees, Sarah Teather has become suddenly very quiet. Local residents want her to vote against raising tuition fees and keep her pre-election pledge. 5.30pm this evening in Cricklewood, NW London.UEA students occupy!
02-12-2010 09:15
At approximately 8.15am a group of UEA students rushed into the council building of the University of East Anglia and began a peaceful occupation to protest the government’s plans to raise tuition fees and cut funding to higher education.Against the reform, another revolt! Updates on student protests in Italy
01-12-2010 22:23
Last night the Chamber of Deputies approved the Gelmini reform. 307 votes in favour, 252 against, 7 abstained. The reform will be passed over to the Senate on 9th December for its 3rd reading, then to the Chamber of Deputies again for the final vote.Sheffield University: Occupation Demands
01-12-2010 21:43
We are a peaceful and non-violent occupation. We see ourselves as part of a broad and united movement that has sucessfully mobilised against the ConDem attack on education and the rest of the public sector.D Day - March on Parliament - 9th December
01-12-2010 20:28
This is IT people! The day has come!The date for the parliamentary vote on fee increases has been announced!
9 DECEMBER 2010
Against the reform, another revolt!
01-12-2010 19:05
In Italy last night the Chamber of Deputies approved the Gelmini reform. 307 votes in favour, 252 against, 7 abstained. The reform will be passed over to the Senate on 9th December for its 3rd reading, then to the Chamber of Deputies again for the final vote.Newcastle students take direct action to make themselves heard
01-12-2010 17:41
Today, students from the Newcastle University Occupation took peaceful direct action in the finance building of the university.
X2 30th november student protests (part two)
01-12-2010 04:22
as the light faded in trafalgar square, the crowd tested two or three of the exits and more fighting broke out. at one point, police in the north-west corner made a charge into an angry crowd, and in the process a young woman was knocked unconscious. police refused to allow medics in, claiming they feared for their officers safety, even though students offered to stand well back. arguments went on for some time while the woman laid there, until eventually a group of police and medics moved forward, picked her up (without a brace or any check on her condition) and ran her behind police lines.
NB if you didn't realise, you can see larger versions of pics on indymedia london by clicking on them
some petty pilfering at tescos gave the police the excuse to close it down, and some fighting occured and a window was damaged. as riot police flooded that area, one particular inspector, pictured, lashed out at someone simply because they were "too close" (not having much room to move back because of others behind him). again, there was a serious injury as the protestor fell back and was wounded. some people screamed for medics and then carried the wounded man to the police line, also shouting at the inspector that he had done this.
this police operation eventually stood down. during it, press were not allowed in or out of cordons even with press cards.
riot police then removed protestors from the plinths, sometimes aggressively, and making at least two arrests. this large group of police guarding the plinth were taunted by the crowd who shouted "you're kettled".
again, these police withdrew, but not for long.
suddenly, hundreds of police charged across the square in full riot gear from several directions. backed up by mounted police, they formed an impenetrable kettle at the entrance to the strand, capturing probably around a couple of hundred protestors (and passers-by).
there were certainly far more police than there were students, but the students remained unfazed, shouting slogans, doing the hokey-cokey, singing carols, or just sitting under the heavy sleet and snow.
police made occasional snatches to arrest individuals alleged to have been involve in criminal damage.
i was disturbed once again (having seen a medic using fire extinguishers in the faces of protestors last week) to see medics acting like bully boys. one completely lost control at someone outside the kettle who he said was standing too close to him. other officers had to actually restrain the medic to stop him attacking the by-stander!
over the next couple of hours, police began allowing people to leave one at a time.
customarily, kettles are employed when a section 60 has been enforced, and as people leave, they are photographed with any face-coverings removed, and they can be searched for any offensive weapons, although police often use the search as an excuse to go through any identifying documents even though strictly this is not allowed in law. however, there is no legal requirement to provide a name and address.
this evening though, police used a new technique. as each person was escorted out, they were placed in front of one of three forward intelligence teams, who interviewed them in front a bright light and video camera. they were told they were being arrested for breach of the peace, and that they therefore had to give their name and address. some were loaded into vans - others were, after giving all their details and being photographed and videoed from every angle, told they were now de-arrested and allowed to leave - many of these were under-18.
this is a worrying mass addition to the police database of young people not guilty or suspected of any crime, but simply protesting about ideological and political education cuts by an undemocratic and unelected government.
i aslo saw a line of police writing up their note-books and openly chatting and collaborating while doing so.
mainstream media are quoting around 150 arrests, although i think this includes the mock and temporary arrests as people left the kettle. however, dozens were taken away in vans and there had been several arrests earlier during the course of the day.
X2 30th november student protests (part 1)
01-12-2010 04:22
police forced students to change their plans quickly this afternoon. although organisers had furnished and agreed the route of their march from trafalgar square to parliament, within minutes of the start, police began attempting a kettle of peaceful demonstrators. in response, students changed their plans and ran around central london while police tried to contain them. eventually the focus was back at trafalgar square.
both UCL occupation and NCAFC (national campaign against funding cuts) have released statements condemning police actions at the very start of today's protests.
the original plan was to rally at trafalgar square, and then march to parliament square. police had been informed of this plan and according to the statements, agreement had been reached. however, within minutes of the rally beginning, police moved in to try to kettle the protest in trafalgar square, and not wanting to be held in freezing and wet conditions like the week before, the students quickly escaped and ran through st james' park.
groups split off, and while some arrived in parliament square, they soon saw that the square was like some sort of military zone, and barriers had been erected to keep them well away from parliament, so they headed off for a jaunt round london.
i followed one group through st james park, where i met MP john mcdonnell, who told me he thought indymedia was "brilliant".
the students i was with, made it up to oxford circus, but i heard others went via the mall with some serious skirmishes with police, and past buckingham palace and hyde park. another group of more than a thousand were seen heading along the embankment towards the city.
at oxford circus, several hundred people blocked the junction and danced to samba, but as police arrived and tried to contain the crowd, skirmishes again broke out as students rushed to escape a kettle, and some police lashed out at them. one young man was brutally arrested on regent street by members of the TSG.
by keeping to back streets and splitting up further, this group eventually made it down to trafalgar square which seemed to have become a focal point for the protest after all.
thousands of students stood on nelson's plinth, and milled aound the square, while police built up huge numbers at every road exit and brought central london to a halt.
a well-prepared group of protestors erected a small marquee tent and served hot food, while a sound sytem and a samba band provided music.
Film: DAY X2 - Birmingham youth and students take to the streets..
01-12-2010 03:27
Web Link to Video
Sheffield students protest against tuition fee rises - Photos
01-12-2010 02:52
http://sheffieldoccupation.tumblr.com/
Tremough Occupation
01-12-2010 02:03
Students occupy the Stannary at the Tremough campus where University College Falmouth and Exeter are based.Protest at London Lib Dem conference– This Saturday, Chalk Farm
30-11-2010 23:32
Before the General Election all Lib Dem MPs promised to vote against any attempt to increase tuition fees.They now plan to break their promise. There is still time to make them keep their promise.
Brighton Student Protest, 30 November 2010 (video)
30-11-2010 23:24
Video shot at approximately 2.30 pm Tuesday 30 November 2010, between Brighton Pavilion and University of Brighton's student-occupied Pavilion Parade building. Shows the very start of march toward Hove Town Hall.Cambridge Student Demo on Nov 30
30-11-2010 23:05
Day X2- EPIC demo hits Oxford
30-11-2010 22:07
Today a rowdy demo involving hundreds of secondary school kids and sixth formers took over the centre of Oxford.Teach-in and sit-in at Warwick Uni today
30-11-2010 19:46
Warwick Uni students today held a day long teach-in followed by a sit-in protest occupying the busy public Art Centre foyer this evening, winning great public support.