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the student revolts - reflections on leeds university occupation.

jenny | 02.12.2010 13:43 | Free Spaces | Public sector cuts | Social Struggles

the current occupation at leeds university has recently 'voted to ban autonomous actions'. questions on the SWP and the left controlling free spaces.

The occupation of the Michael Sadler building at Leeds University seemed an opportunity for opening up space and possibilities to a number of people, many of whom were the youth marked NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training), those who would never have accessed Leeds University under the current Government or the last.
However, a series of events ensured that those very people were again excluded, and more, as the SWP - and, to be fair, others unaffiliated afraid or unsure of the potential unravelling of systems of control - seized BACK the power from the outside and the dispossessed.
The latest occupation of the Ziff building next door by about 40 individuals was seen as a threat to either the security of the the Michael Sadler building and, essentially, to the security of the Party Line. A vote to ensure 'autonomous action would not be tolerated' further excluded those who were left to resist the deathly pressure of the organised and wretched traditional left.
Some personal accounts, questions and thoughts can be found on this website:

 http://reallyopenuniversity.wordpress.com/

jenny

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