It's interesting. I personally feel that non-violent civil resistance is one of the most effective forms of protest. Don't get me wrong... by that I don't mean well behaved civilians walking along the well planned routes decided by the poli...ce and being watched over by the still plotting and scheming state as they march past. That's all accommodated for; it's budgeted for. It is not a counter protest, it's just an expected and contained retaliation to the changes and unfair laws imposed, and, thus, these types of planned, peaceful protest are accordingly controlled. These forms of demonstration are non-argumentative and they are submissive, thus, they fall directly into the hands of the state, with the only impact being a small dent in the policing budget. I feel that such types of peaceful protest over such vital issues give further consensus to the distorted understanding of 'democracy' that is widespread in the UK.

On the other hand, however, civil resistance, or non-violent resistance, against the commands of a government has been seen to have huge effect when practised correctly. It takes huge effort, self restraint, bravery and organisation, but as far as I can tell it more most importantly seems to require an understanding of human behaviour, psychology and the heart. Objectivity and compassion are essential is achieving success through protest.

Having been present at demonstrations that have ended violently, I have witnessed that the aggression presented by protesters or civilians caught up is often due to kettling, or protesters reacting aggressively to the frustration of not being able to manoeuvre as they had intended or would like to, ie. going home when the protests start to turn bad, or when the police trun up with riot gear on and start insulting (...that is when I know it's about to turn bad). I've felt such frustration and anger when faced with a snarling, ignorant police officer, calling me names, swearing at me while I've stood, calmly and politely asking to leave the area before the violence kicks off. I'm not interested in fighting police. I'm not interested in getting pulverised when caught between them and the very brave, but very ignorant and reactionary protesters who may want to fight. Thugs meeting thugs... It's time for me to duck out.

The students and young people at these protests, I personally feel, have every right to fight if they so wish. The government does what it likes and the police tend to do as they like - it is deeply unjust to proclaim that these young people, who are having what they know of their futures torn up and trampled on, are wrong to resist that. However, even though it may be an animalistic and instinctive right of any human being to fight back and defend through violence, further study and thought about how to stand against the government may provide an alternative, and most probably optimal, outcome.

Through reacting violently, this again falls into the hands of the state. There may be feelings of achievement; the battle is easily justified by the wrongs that the defendants, or civilians, face. However, in this particular political climate, much of the support from working class average Joe or Jane, middle class individuals who reads the news, upper class artisans and entrepreneurs and so many other other people who support the fight to keep tuition fees low and provide a fair higher education, is lost or retracted. The public face of this very fair call for justice has become angry, shouting and covered in blood. That is a 'bad look', and a lot of this has got to do with how things look to other people, as a lot of civilians do not leave the comfort of their homes and instead view and review the situation through the media. 'Look' and portrayal is key. Images of violence and aggression from protesters caught up in police kettles are so easily warped and spun AND THAT IS WHY THEY DO IT.

Everyone who wishes to protest publicly or resist that actions of the government should read about Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and satyagraha. Before I researched this I had no idea about the reality of civil resistance; how brave one must be to walk, not fight, into a line of armed officers to exercise their right to protest. There are examples where lines of civilians have been organised to stand by just to pull harmed people out to the side and tend to serious head injuries and other wounds. People who protest in this way are not pushovers. It is not the same as the allocated, cordoned protest paths we have seen organised for anti-war marches or so on. It is also not the bustling, chaotic scenes we have witnessed at the G20 protests, or the poll tax riots. It is somewhere in between. The blood of the riots is there, but the chaos of the demonstrators is not.

If, or when, police smack and beat a man or woman who calmly wishes to walk into an area they wish to walk into, a police state is clearly identified. When reports of this come up in the media amongst other reports of violence at a protest, the calm civilian is damned as the actions by the police are'justified' and the rights that are being lost and abused are lost in a sea of negative, exaggerated and spun coverage: "Police battling to hold back protesters"... "A police officer lies on the road, apparently out cold after clashing with protester"... "Protesters tried to use a barrier to smash through the police cordon"... All these excerpts from reports following the student fee protests seem, to me, to condone the actions of the police state as they create a scenario where 'adequate' measures would need to be taken to protect person and property.

The educated and objective protester must consider the position of the media highly. If one actually wishes to see genuine change from the government, they must ensure that protest is not be about personal gain or release of anger. To achieve change, and to reveal the state as it really is, scrupulous measures must be taken to ensure that protest is organised and with direction and aims. What do the protesters wish to achieve? How will they reveal the truth? How are they going to challenge to media portrayal? What does kettling do to ones feelings? How can I stay calm?

The greatest key is to understand that they have a heart.
Do not reinforce their self trickery; violence towards them reinforces that what they are doing is just and right!
By smacking you when you are calm, it hurts them.
If an entire crowd is calm but calculated and organised, the police aims will be revealed.

In the end it will eat itself from the inside out.