Skip to content or view screen version

Students Show Initiative And Political Radicalisation

19.03.2003 06:45 | Anti-militarism

Wednesday 19th saw a National Student Day of Action Against War. Across the country students walked out of classes, held meetings, protested and engaged in civil disobedience. There were several reports of clashes with police. Thousands took to the streets blocking traffic in Birmingham, Edinburgh,[ audio1|2| 3], Sheffield, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester (12 arrests), and Whitehall in London (video: heavy handed police). There were also demonstrations in Leicester, Swansea and other towns and cities across the country including Presteigne and Worcester.

On Monday, 700 students took to the streets in in Totnes, South Devon, with over 200 blockading a petrol station. Students at Atlantic College in South Wales joined in a Global Peace Vigil as part of a worldwide show of opposition to War on Sunday. Members of University College London stop the war coalition dropped a banner reading 'No war for oil' and 'End the occupation' in Oxford Street during the Friday lunch hour, while others blocked traffic outside Parliament (die-in pics).

Six pupils from Hove who walked out of school last week to take part in an anti-war demonstration were suspended for two months and not be allowed back till their GCSE examinations. Eighteen students at another School in Herts, have been also been excluded for participating in an anti-war rally. Police refused to monitor an anti-war demonstration by more than 500 children in Oxford last week and blamed their schools and parents for allowing it to happen. The pupils brought chaos to the city centre after storming out of schools at lunchtime. In Sheffield on March the 5th, angry pupils stormed into 4 different colleges after having made their point in a noisy protest at the City Hall [Pictures and report].

This follows the thousands of children that have walked out of their schools across Britain and globally. Many student anti-war demonstrations since the beginning of March co-insided with the 'Books not bombs' campaign.





- Homepage: http://images.indymedia.org/imc/uk/073_sheffield_student_strike_m5_sm-thumb.jpg