Reclaim the Uni! Manchester students storm University building

Manchester Student | 23.04.2008 00:35 | Education | Liverpool

Around 350 students on the 'Reclaim the Uni' demo occupied a new building in protest against cuts in contact hours and the business-led approach to higher education. Police attempted to obstruct the march before the occupation, but students broke their lines and side-skirted their blockades. A conference was held inside the building and a set of demands was issued to the University.

Demo flyer

On mass, in the sunshine

Down the Oxford Road....

Sidestepping....

Mr Officer gets rowdy with his dancing....

Futile attempts to obstruct the march

With tunes pumping out....

We break their lines...

Todays Reclaim the Uni demo saw around 350 students enjoy a sunshine blessed march before dramatically occupying The Arthur Lewis Building.

The march began at 4pm, and aided with a soundsystem, headed down the Oxford Road and around the University campus.

Police attempted to stop the demo, but were quickly side skirted by the student protest as it continued back down Upper Brook Street. Scuffles broke out on Brunswick Street, but students nimbly wrong footed the police and broke through their lines.

The new Artur Lewis building is infamous on campus for it restrictive access to undergraduate students. On occupying the building, the mood was near-euphoric amongst the crowd, before settling down to a debate on higher education.

A list of demands were drawn up, known as 'The Arthur Lewis Declaration', which will be issued to the University management with a follow up demonstration today (Wed 23rd April) at 2pm.

The police were typically heavy handed in throwing people to the floor, and aggressively squaring up to the peaceful crowd. We ignored them and got on with it.

For M-channels video footage, see

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1213934526/bctid1517402038

Manchester Student
e-mail: reclaimtheuniversity@gmail.com

Comments

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nice one

23.04.2008 09:40

good effort for standing up the business people that would sell our entire planet given half a chance!! Fuck the police!!

bookworm

Inspiring is an over-used word, but still...

23.04.2008 11:57

Sororal and fraternal greetings from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth!

Looks like a very well organised action in pursuit of a just cause - surely this will inspire more people to fight the good fight.

What's the next step?

squatticus

Nods

23.04.2008 12:49

Well done and just what was the reason that the Police wanting to stop the March? Did anyone find out?

loppy

Gives them..

23.04.2008 13:11

Gives them something to do doesn't it, keeps their minds occupied otherwsise pigs'd start to think for themselves (like: what is the point of my existence, shouldn't I just quit my job and do something useful for society instead?)

Neil T

wow well done, university is for people2 not just funded toffs

23.04.2008 15:03

wow well done, university is for people2 not just funded toffs
some of the police there look so sad, the emf from their tetra radio system is probably effecting their minds.17ghz I think is the frequency & its the worst one for people, apperently lincolnshire force were getting afew tumours when it was tested out there, this info is from Powerwatch & other science researchers.
Worth noting which units they were from if they were really aggressive, some look like they didnt want to be there though. How bad does it get before they work more with people on things like this or ignore daft & undemocratic orders?
The electorate are against cuts also.

green syndicalist

Well done, too bad NUS aren't supportive

23.04.2008 16:08

Great job guys. It's great to see students taking action like this. Solidarity greetings from Bradford Uni.

Why can't NUS support actions like occupations? It wouldn't prevent them doing their schmoozy lobbies of ministers.

Bradford student

viva '68!

23.04.2008 19:36

yeh man,

the funky days are back again.

http://www.fat-controller.com/site/content.cfm?id=17AC3E43-098F-049A-00C0864ACA23161B

donald trump iv

check out this unbelievably shit and one-sided farticle from the chester news...

23.04.2008 19:50

http://www.chestereveningleader.co.uk/latest-north-west-news/Riot-police-called-to-student.4009526.jp

if you see at the bottow, they took the story from the Press Association.

has anyone press-released the motivations for the demo, the demands of the protests and so on to the PA?

(ideally with contactable spokespersons etc)

otherwise, theyre just going to interview cops giving the usual cop cliches.

and fill in the gaps with their own meaningless drivel.

'68 yeh baby yeah, rock and roll

Things are not always what they seem?

23.04.2008 23:41

Oh look - it's (name removed). But wait! Would that be the very same (name removed) who was disqualified for the position of International Students Officer following a highly irregular and nasty election campaign? The same (name removed) who had links to the recently deposed Respect/SWP junta?

Things are not always what they seem....

Philip K Dick

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everything is not what it seems...

24.04.2008 10:17

no infact, that guy is actually Fidel Castro's illegitimate 4th bastard son, who escaped persecution as a child and fled to indonesia where he was adopted by a small family of chimpanzees in the rainforsts... before claiming asylum under a seudonym in britian.

the british establishment dont know this but he is secretly living in whitworth park halls, manchester currently where he, and a bunch of would be renegade armed insurgents are plotting to overthrough the NUS, in an attempt to ban unethical products from the student canteen.

in terms of things not being wha they seem, i just tried to eat a sandwich just now, which turned out to be my hand which id mystakenly put inside a loaf of bread.

trot infiltration for the nation
Homepage: http://www.trotswithsnoutsineverytroff.com

Press Association

24.04.2008 13:12

This is a typical PA story. Their 'journalists' have to write about eight stories per shift, and it shows.

If you look at the report of the action, you can see it consists *almost entirely* of quotes from spokesmen (police and university).

If you want to write eight stories per shift, you can forget about getting out on the ground and reporting what you see; much quicker to phone up press officers and get quotes, as has happened here.

The BBC treats the PA as a reliable source, but what the PA does is little better than cut and paste from the internet, which anyone could do.

This has been documented in Nick Davies' new book 'Flat Earth News', of which you can read a review here:

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v30/n05/lanc01_.html

squatticus

not what they seem eh Phillip?

24.04.2008 13:23

(name removed) and swp / respect weren't the organisers of this demo. As usual they try and force themselves into the limelight...as usual people leap to the wrong conclusions.

student

Solidarity...

24.04.2008 17:55

...from a Keele and Lancaster alumnus who also assisted in the struggle against the sell out of higher education during his time at uni.

Keep up the good work, we need more of these things to happen!

Tom A

Glad to hear it, student.

24.04.2008 19:06

Glad to hear that. The only campaigns that have any chance of success are ones that explicitly reject these people, their sectarianism, racism and their authoritarian Stalinist takeovers.

Trots + Politics = FAIL.

I desperately hope that people won't get fooled again!

Philip K Dick

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That banner

24.04.2008 22:18

that says 'OUR university of Manchester'. Yes, of course it is their university of Manchester, but it is also everyone else's university of Manchester, especially the millions of taxpayers who fund the place but don't get to go to it or any other university either. So, now you've had your little march, get back to your books and make sure you give those taxpayers good value for their cash by studying hard and working for the benefit of those who helped pay for your education.

Pete

Under what laws? Defend Democratic Rights!

26.04.2008 09:50

Well done to youse students for challenging the cops and getting your rights! As someone who was arrested violently last year while I was distributing the newspaper Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! up here in Dundee, it is clearly the case that, despite the rights we all have to demonstrate, the cops have no concept of this and think that they can arrogantly and physically intervene as and how they like. In fact they have no legal right to do so unless a crime is being committed and are themselves guilty of breaking the law! Can you let us know which laws were cited, if any, by the police and if any folk were arrested and charged. We all need to get up to speed on our rights and be prepared to quickly and effectively defend them- or those rights will simply be taken from us. I am still pursuing the official CCTV of my arrest but you can see the latter stages of the assault if you go to You Tube and type in "Dundee Arrest".

Venceremos!
We Shall Win!
Michael MacGregor
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!
Revolutionary Communist Group

Michael MacGregor
mail e-mail: frfiscotland@yahoo.co.uk
Homepage: http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org

What are your demands?

30.04.2008 20:38

Guys - just a thought - any chance you could make it a bit clearer what your demands are?

When you describe the march, you refer to "The Arthur Lewis Declaration", but don't make any attempt to summarise its contents or give a link so that people can read it.

I am a graduate student who was in the Arthur Lewis Building having a class at the time you guys occupied it, and I can attest that all you succeeded in doing for that group of students was amusing and perhaps slightly irritating them.

Judging by the slogans I see on your boards, I suspect I (and possibly many of my classmates) would entirely support your campaign, but if your demands are not made clear, you risk looking like you were more interested in having a party, doing something a bit "naughty" than actually making a difference.

Just to be clear -- I am very glad indeed to see this kind of student activism, -- I think there is too little of it about at the moment, and congratulate you for making a stand for something you believe in.

But if you don't make it clear what you're arguing for, it is hard for others to know what to think, and frankly unlikely to make much difference. Even when I popped in to your meeting, it wasn't clear what the main themes were, beyond a general sense that business, the university and the government are all bad in some way. Intelligent people should be able to do better!

A bystander

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