About 250 protesters today braved the below freezing temperatures to protest the death of higher education at the hands of the ConDem coalition government under the proposals which will see a 100% cut to the Social Science, Arts and Humanities teaching budget alongside the withdrawal of the education maintenance allowance (EMA) which broadens participation in higher education among pupils from poorer backgrounds.
The funeral procession gathered at the University of Bristol Union on Queens Rd at 3:30 this afternoon, and marched down to College Green, to lay the ceremonial coffin of the UK higher education system in front of the council house today. The protesters remained in good spirits despite the biting cold, and the presence of almost as many police as protesters, including numerous mounted police which seemed totally unnecessary to deal with a small and entirely fluffy protest.