Sheffield University Occupied in Opposition to Education Cuts
IMC Sheffield | 24.11.2010 20:30 | Education | Public sector cuts | Sheffield
Students from schools, colleges and the universities demonstrated in the city centre on 24th of November in protest at the increase in tuition fees and education cuts. Following this students occupied the Hicks Building at Sheffield University. One of the occupying students explained the reason for this:
"We are occupying for a variety of reasons but generally around the common purpose of being against the cuts in this university, to other universities and to education in general. Particularly we want to demonstrate against the proposed rise in tuition fees and the ongoing privatisation of higher education. However, we are also tying our actions to a wider struggle against austerity measures and cuts."
The University evicted the occupation the following day.
On the same day there was a massive turn out for the launch of the Sheffield Anti-Cuts Campaign, listen to the speeches from the meeting. See also the recording of the Defending the state? Welfare cuts and the social wage meeting held in early November.
A second day of national protests has called for Tuesday 30th November 2010, assemble at Sheffield University students union campus on Western Bank at 12.00 noon to march to Nick Clegg’s office.
Newswire: Sheffield Marches on Clegg 30th Nov | Short Video of Student Protest in Sheffield on 24th November | University Security Attempt to Evict Student Occupation at Sheffield | Sheffield Anti cuts Alliance Meeting | Sheffield Against Cuts Meeting and March To Sheffield Uni Occupation | Sheffield Students Demo: Images Of The Police | Sheffield Students Demo: Images | Sheffield Students Demo | University of Sheffield Occupies! | Interview with an anarchist student occupier at Sheffield University | Sheffield Students Protest Against the Cuts | Statement from NUT executive members in support of the school walk outs
Links: Sheffield Occupation | Sheffield Occupation Messages of Support
IMC Sheffield
e-mail:
sheffield@indymedia.org
Homepage:
http://sheffield.indymedia.org.uk/
Additions
The Occupation and Tuesdays Plans
29.11.2010 12:54
After the rally on the concourse at 12 we managed to get a few more people into the occupation whilst the security were pushing and shoving us about. Then, coincidentally, the fire alarm went off. We were highly suspicious that the security set off the alarm to try to get us to leave. This is because of the timing - they were agressivly preventing people from entering the occupation. And it is also because we know that this is a tactic that is often used against occupations. For example, at City of Bristol College yesterday, 300 students occupied and shortly after the fire alarm was set off and the occupation had to be evacuated. The Security in the Hicks building immediately told us that the police had been called and that they would ‘evacuate’ the occupation. The claimed that ‘someone set the alarm off and did a runner out the back door’ - sounds convincing… Our group then decided to leave and we headed over to Firth Court. The security there agressively tried to prevent us from entering the building, despite the prescence of primary school children. We managed to get in however, and succeeded in occupying the corridor outside the vice-chancellor’s office. At this point, there was a large number of university security guards inside the building and a van load of police outside. We decided to leave and build for the next national day of action on Tuesday. All-in-all a very succesful 24-hour occupation. There was a great demonstration yesterday, a big, visible occupation and a sit-down outside the VC’s office. We all feel great about our protest and can’t wait to make tuesday even bigger and better! Thanks for all the support and we’ll keep you posted on what’s going on in the next weeks in our struggle against higher fees and cuts.
Tuesday 30th December 2010
12.00am Assemble at Sheffield University students union campus on Western Bank
“We are again rallying at Sheffield University students union campus on Western Bank at 12.00 and from here we will march to Clegg’s office.
For workers coming after work meet us 5.30pm at Clegg’s!”
March route:
http://tinyurl.com/37wxhdr
Sheffield Occupation
Homepage:
http://sheffieldoccupation.tumblr.com/
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