UK Promoted Newswire Archive
THE Oxford Education Campaign Occupies The “Rad Cam”
25-11-2010 12:20
Fifty students affiliated with the grassroots movement Oxford Education Campaign occupied the historic Radcliffe Camera at 1.30pm yesterday Wednesday 24th November 2010. The protestors have aimed to run the 'Rad Cam', which serves as a Bodleian Library reading room, as a free space for mutual education, in resistance to the neoliberalisation of higher education announced by the coalition government.Photo's From Manchester Student Protests
25-11-2010 11:54
No Ifs, No Buts...!
25-11-2010 11:22
This is not an exhaustive report. There were so many of us and everyone has their story to tell (why don't you tell your story?). So basically, they want to take away the right to education, and we won't let them. It was brilliant seeing all those people turn out, 13, 14 year old school kids amongst them. We started off at ULU. Everyone's really angry. How do those who got an education get to mess it up for us and decide that we can't have one? We can't even vote, though what good is that if they just lie to you anyway? Just like what on BBC and Sky. You'd think they went to a whole different event. But great spirits, lots of energy. We pass a bunch of unis and the march keeps getting bigger. At Trafalgar Square, suddenly it's not 50 people anymore it's 5000! Read what happened next...
Another report: part 1, 2, 3 and why it isn't over yet...
We're passing Trafalgar Square and head down Whitehall. And suddenly the march is stopped and we can't go anywhere. And Whitehall, there's no sidestreets. They didn't ask us to disperse, but even if they would have, we couldn't. There's no sidestreets. So they set up a "kettle", cops and vans and horses at either end. And we're stuck. First it's still fun, everyone is in great spirits, it's like a big party. You meet people, everyone's having a laugh. People are pretty angry and take apart a lot of stuff. Busstops, even bruning ticket machines. They explode in a weird way. I don't even know how you can set something like that on fire. There's this police van left behind in the middle of the crowd, so that's totally taken appart. I hear some people got arrested for theft later, after they found some police equipment on them. Really those people might just have picked it up from the streets.
But it really wears down after a while. It's getting really cold, you can't move about much. There's no food, no drinks. No loos. Some people took a piss right in front of police lines, others set up improvised loos in phone booths and with banners. There's fires being started all over the place, usind placards, newspapers, everything. Those plastic barricades, and man those stink. A few times people try and get out. Pushing through the lines. And police is totally vicious. People are so tightly packed in that there's nowhere to go, but the cops just lash out and hit anything that moves.I hear some people broke out and went up to Trafalgar, would be great to hear something about that.
There's also cops with big cameras and small ones that you hardly notice. Some coppers had ones on their hats, filming everything, but you didn't really see them at first. There's a campaign to stop them and after the Millbank thing, they had their website taken down.After Millbank they started arresting people later on. There's some advice on the net for going to protests. Seems like it's a whole science of it's on, if you don't want to get hassled for it.
So basically if you want to take part in a protest in this "democracy", they should give you a warning before: "Prepare to be clubbed on the head and held in an outdoors prison for hours on end. You gotta bring enough warm cloths to not get cold, also food and water. Because if we catch you in one of out cattle pens, we're not going to feed you or anything. You better don't have a bladder either, because we're not gonna let you go to the loo. Oh, and you may get arrested for being in the wrong spot at the wrong place. And we're going to take pictures and video you, so we can find out who you are later on. But yeah, you're totally free to protest. As long as you don't mind all of the above."
So everyone, what are we going to do next time? We can't let them get away with this kinda behaviour! Maybe that's why they don't want us to get an education. Because we might learn about what democracy means. And speak up about the bullshit that's currently happening in this country. With the banks being bailed out, and corportations getting huge tax breaks, the rich ones get huge bonuses and whatnot and everyone else gets fucked. We need something better! Some real democracy, and some way to organise society so everyone can have a good life, good education, a decent job and most of all everyone can have a say!
Southampton Protest Round-up 24/11/10 - Student and Council workers' Actions
25-11-2010 11:12
Warwick University occupation ended
25-11-2010 11:05
In the face of extreamly repressive university policy this occupation has ended to re-group and plan further action.Film: Birmingham university walkout and occupation
25-11-2010 09:27
Web Link to Video
Making themselves heard - Manchester Students Demo
25-11-2010 09:22
It was big, it was loud, and it was anarchic in the best possible way. Manchester students made themselves heard and seen all round the city centre on Wednesday when around 3,000 of them went on the march.
London South Bank University Occupied
25-11-2010 08:45
Students with support of the local UCU branch have occupied the university's Learning Resource Centrepolice force children out of mcdonalds
25-11-2010 03:47
police force children out of mcdonalds and force them down whitehall into kettle where they are then held for hours. they can't explain what law they are using.
student cuts protest - pics and account (part two)
25-11-2010 03:47
police trawled through trafalgar square and whitehall rounding up any youngsters, including children (many of whom showed no signs of being part of the protest), and forcing them into a kettle where they were then imprisoned for hours.
at around 3pm, i spotted a line of around 80 police standing in front of the national gallery at the top of trafalgar square.
this was odd because in the square there were very few people and only half a dozen students with a banner.
suddenly the police line swept down picking up anyone who looked like they might be a student, or indeed a school child.
pushing them down to the top of whitehall, police forced the youngsters down the road, and once in whitehall it was then even easier for so many police to completely seal the road.
they stopped outside mcdonalds and went in, again zeroing in on anyone that looked "young", hauling them out and telling them to walk down whitehall towards the kettled crowd.
many argued, saying they wanted to get to the train station or to get home. many of them were under 18. many asked why they were being told to leave mcdonalds and move towards the obvious trouble, but police just told them to move.
many passers-by were appalled and shouting at the police about their actions.
i asked police what law they were using, and they said they didn't know. i asked if they were targetting people that looked like students and they said 'that's right'.
some of the children were clearly confused and terrified by this police operation, and most were not actively protesting when targetted - indeed some were clearly just in the vicinity with no connection to the day's demonstrations.
see attached short vid clip above.
still, the kids were pushed all the way down towards downing street, and the police lines were also joined and reinforced by mounted.
around the area of downing street, there was quite a large crowd outside the earlier main police kettle (they had clearly arrived later and were hoping to join the publicised march to parliament square). when they saw the youngsters coming towards them with lines of police and horses behind, they panicked and tried to run through the gardens of the ministry of defence and over spiked fencing. a couple fell and i saw one painful injury.
police soon secured the escape route, and then kept pushing the new kettle towards the original one past the cenotaph.
as this kettle moved tighter, some officers tried to trash the tent that provides shelter for the ongoing 'white flag revolution' protest against the afghan war. luckily there was an intervention by some MoD police who knew about this protest, and the tent remained.
a couple of people trying to escape the kettle were arrested.
all those that were already in whitehall, together with the students, youngsters, children and passers-by trawled by police, were then held for several hours into darkness.
student cuts protest - pics and account (part 3)
25-11-2010 03:47
as night fell, police used mounted police to charge crowds containing children and peaceful protestors. more arbitrary cordons led to scuffles, and a few by now very angry protestors stopped some traffic and broke a couple of windows. those kettled were gradually let out, some having spent ten hours imprisoned.
with thousands kettled and the night drawing in, protestors lit fires to stay warm. some took their frustration out on police lines, but interestingly, many of the students stopped others from committing acts of violence. i saw one group pushing back an attempt to use some fencing as a battering ram, and the angrier demonstrators were disarmed.
once again, new people arrived outside the kettle, and police brought in even more massive reinforcements to begin an operation to clear whitehall by pushing people up the road away from the kettles.
the kettles themselves still contained thousands of people, and as the cold set in, more fires were started. many of those held had been there for more than eight hours by now, and there were a few concerted attempts to break through police lines and at one point about a hundred made a successful breach and got away.
the operation to clear whitehall became quite violent as lines of riot police pushed forward, knocking people off walls, occasionally using batons, and pushing anyone infront of them, including press. the police lines were aided by a dozen mounted police, who on occasion charged their horses directly into the crowd. as people scattered in panic, it was pure luck that no-one appeared to be trampled or otherwise injured.
as the crowd neared trafagar square it was clear yet another line of police were coming the other way, and to avoid yet another kettle, some charged through, and others also escaped down great scotland yard.
once free in trafalgar square, some went on the rampage, pulling bins and other debris across the road, and unaccountably smashing a couple of bus windows on their way.
one group of about 50 people was surrounded in duncannon street near the strand, and one photographer was pushed over by a bullying transport police inspector. as people surrounded this cordon, tension rose, and more riot police arrived and pushed people away from the cordon. there were a couple of attempts at a sit-down protest on the strand, but police waded in, drew batons, and very forcibly cleared the road.
back at parliament square, by 9pm police had pushed the original kettle further up the road, and on the far side were letting people out in small numbers at a time, sometimes, though not always, taking details as people left.
press were not allowed past police lines, and police were anxious to clear loiterers out of whitehall.
overall, there were several key moments to the day.
first, police stopped a march that had been publicised as going to parliament square, then kettled thousands of people, some of whom were not part of the protest, and most of whom were peaceful.
next, police started pushing into the crowd, provoking a response, and then there was the mysterious single abandoned police van.
then, the sinister and arbitrary sweep for young people in the area, some of whom were clearly not involved, but who were then detained for hours.
finally, dangerous use of mounted police charging into crowds that contained children.
after G20, for an all too short while, police attitudes to protest improved, at least in front of cameras, but after the equally orchestrated events at millbank recently, the police have found an excuse to behave dangerously, provocatively, and repressively.
however, there were two very positive things that emerged from the day. first, the students demonstrated all over the country and are clearly not going to back down over the cuts despite this repression. second, the public and passers-by showed tremendous support for the students, see it as part of a much wider struggle against a further deep attack by the rich against the poor, and showed genuine horror and disgust at the police repression of wholly legitimate protests against an illegitimate government out of control.
Oxford occupiers re-energised by extra people
25-11-2010 01:41
The group occupying the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford has had a massive morale boost with an extra bunch of people pushing past security to join us.student cuts protest - pics and account (part one)
25-11-2010 01:22
thousands of protestors were held for up to ten hours against their will for daring to protest on the streets of london. a police van left in the centre of a kettle became the focus of ire, and offered the press their iconic riot images. the question must be asked whether this was orchestrated.
as students gathered in malet st this morning, the mood was carnivalesque but defiant.
as the march set off around 11.30, it was completely surrounded by police.
meanwhile a group of school students were marching/running along millbank and through parliament square. police were finding it hard to keep up, but about a dozen vans chased through the traffic after them as they made their way up whitehall to meet the carnival at trafalgar square.
in trafalgar square, the students had taken over the base of nelson's statue, watched and documented by several FIT teams back in their blue tabards for the day.
the publicised itinery for the protests involved a rally in the square and then a march down to parliament square, followed by a further rally outside downing street at 5pm.
however, the students were impatient and decided to head down to parliament square immediately.
as they made their way swiftly down whitehall, little did they know that the police were not going to facilitate the peaceful demonstration advertised as marching to parliament square.
at the bottom of whitehall, just as it reaches parliament square, police set up a solid block and anyone that in their eyes looked vaguely like a student was simply not allowed through.
meanwhile, behind the crowd, more police were forming a kettle, and mysteriously, a solitary police van was left unwatched right in the middle of this kettle.
at the parliament square end, although the crowd was generally peaceful, their anger grew at not being allowed to pass. a few made an attempt to dismantle some work fences that formed part of the trap, and at that point riot police began pushing forward into the crowd, causing reactions and scuffles.
i witnessed the shocking sight of a police medic putting his arm through the officers in front of him and spraying a BCF halon fire extinguisher at the faces of some caught at the front of the crowd.
as the crowd realised they were being held against their will, more scuffles broke out, and the sole abandoned police van became the object of anger and was graffitied, broken into and will of course become one of the iconic news images of the day.
Video evidence of Police not displaying their numbers at anti-cuts demo
25-11-2010 01:22
The video shows the failure of police to display their numbers, something which is extremely important in making sure police are accountable for misconduct.The video is here: http://vimeo.com/17174532
The video was filmed at the anti-cuts demo on the 24/11/2010
Here are points 8 and 9 of the Home Affairs Committee reccomendation in response to the policing of the G20 protests, along with the governments response which was published on the 27/01/2010:
(The full publication is here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmsel...1.pdf)
8.
We echo Sir Paul Stephenson’s comments: in many ways the problem for the police in these situations is not their actual actions, but the perception that they are seeking to avoid accountability for these actions. We are therefore surprised that the problems of identification posed when officers change into protective equipment have not been addressed before and recommend more funding specifically for solutions in this area. (Paragraph 22)
9.
Senior officers must take personal responsibility for ensuring that all officers are displaying their identification numbers and the individual officer must be provided with enough numbers so that these can be worn at all times and on all equipment. It would be helpful if the Home Office and Metropolitan Police would let us know the length of time it takes between the ordering of a new identification badge and this badge being delivered to the individual officer. It is unacceptable for officers not to wear identification numbers at such events; this must be a matter of the highest priority. We urge that any officers found to be deliberately removing their identification face the strongest possible disciplinary measures and the police must make every effort to be identifiable at all times. (Paragraph 23)
(Government's response):
The Government strongly endorses the conclusions of all the reviews into policing of protest that uniformed police officers should be identifiable at all times by their shoulder identification numbers. The public has a right to be able to identify any uniformed officer who is performing their duty. As the Home Affairs Committee Report recognises this is wholly endorsed by the MPS and by ACPO.
Display of numerals is one of the areas that the Policing White Paper flags as requiring particular attention in revised training and guidance. ACPO has already issued interim guidance reinforcing the importance of the identification of officers, and the MPS has included specific reference in all briefing for the need for officers to display numerals.
Most officers have metal numerals, which are issued without delay—but may come unattached following heavy contact. Specialist public order officers have embroidered numerals, which take between four and six weeks to order. However, metal numerals are used during the interim period. MPS officers are issued with two pairs of both.
The University of Strategic Optimism - First Lecture in bank
25-11-2010 01:18
A university based on the principal of free and open education, a return of politics to the public, and the politicisation of public spaceLecture today in London bank - check out Youtube link below:
Full article | 2 additions | 5 comments
Sheffield Anti Cuts Alliance Meeting
25-11-2010 00:34
SOAS Occupation - Goldsmiths students statement
25-11-2010 00:22
Part of the School for Oriental and African Studies is currently being occupied in protest against privatisation and cuts, but the dispute is getting wider. SOAS students are there, and Goldsmiths and other students are there in solidarity, but they need your help. Here's a statement of solidarity from Goldsmiths students, email goldinsolidarity@gmail.com to get more info.
National Walkout: Goldsmiths students' statement of solidarity
We, the students of Goldsmiths College, have decided supporting the SOAS occupation to show our solidarity against the proposed cuts to education. We are not just students and this is not just a contingent occupation. It is an expression of our stance against the current government's ideological agenda that will impoverish us all.
This is a peaceful movement and we continue to act peacefully. Yet those in Whitehall who were ketteled today, including thousand of high school children, and who were expressing their legitimate fear of the dissolution of their futures, have been treated like criminals. For more than 9 hours they were imprisoned by a police shield, unable to leave and without access to water, warm clothing, medical treatment and only 1 toilet cubicle for more than 3000 people. This is physical and discursive violence by the government through the instrument of the police against people's legitimate right to question the decisions of a coalition government on a weak mandate.
We have been told that due to our government's debt we, the people(s), must now forfeit rights that have historically been the foundation of society, one of which is free access to education for all. Why did the government jump to the rescue of the banks in the name of society only to then do away with the essential mechanisms that ensure the livelihoods and securities which we expect from a democratic government?
The effects of having a solution of privatisation of the university will be that the ability to access education will be determined solely by individuals' financial backgrounds. As a matter of course this will fast track those from privileged backgrounds to the most elite universities.
The governments restructuring of the education system has revealed their priority to perpetuate, enlarge and advance a logic of learning that is catered towards the economy and not society.
This is evident by the positioning of the hard sciences and certain social sciences (i.e. Economics and Law) over and above the arts/humanities and other social sciences. On what basis is the government undertaking this decision?
There has been a systemic attack on arts and humanities for not meeting research standards; for not undertaking research whose 'value' can be appraised according to a crude economic calculus. Indeed, how can arts and humanities meet these research standards when their departments across the country are overburdened with teaching hours, force fed with never-ending quantitative targets and ever coerced to tow the line for fear of their funding being cut? These aggressive measures are part of a vicious cycle that has been initiated by the government's claim to know what is worthwhile education and what is not.
While these sciences are valuable for society they are not the beating heart of innovative and creative social communities and they do not have any critical capacity to guide moral, ethical and political questions that we live within and must engage with at every level in our life.
It seems that the government is knowingly dressing down the humanities' status in favour of disciplines whose end result is net private profit, with the effect the population is coerced into financialised and managerial modes of work.
For instance, several universities are increasingly under the thumb of managerial imperatives, not democratically and academically credible leadership. This is seen in the withering power of the Universities' board of governors to keep in check C.E.O type leadership whose prime interests are solely economic.
Such regimes are becoming the norm in various sectors across society; we see this in secondary education with the changes in funding and the introduction of 'academies'; cuts in NHS funding that will lead people with no choice but to access private healthcare or even go without; the cutting of legal aid and the replacing of genuine workers' organisations with ones which are led by corporate-style figureheads whose interests are indistinguishable from the mainstream interests of political parties. Those that question the normalisation of these ideological interests are harassed and witch-hunted, such as the whistle-blowers in the NHS who have brought to light the deaths and endangerment of hundreds of patients under the auspices of mis-management.
Yet, we will not be intimidated by these developments because we have a vision for a society that is sustainable, egalitarian and perfectly viable outside the narrow terms of economics. We demand breadth and freedom of choice in education, not the baseless pitting of sciences against the humanities. We demand an education that is not underwritten by financial gain but by the sake of learning itself.
Our quest is to protect education from the neo-liberal market. We will press for the resistance, and continue our own vociferous and active resistance, of the obstruction of learning as an empowering experience. This process is being created via the rhetorical transformation of it into a commodity
'good'.
We will continue to highlight the greedy agenda of those who want to roll-out their private wealth. With this affect, they command the productive wealth of our society. We the students, refuse to accept the labels 'selfish' and 'lazy'- our actions of solidarity across generations today disproves these.
The occupation in SOAS is one of many acts by all of those who are going to be negatively affected by the cuts we are to be shackled with. The actions the government wish to effect are a few weeks away, we will remain committed to expressing our views concerning the *right* to a non-elitist, non-corporate education system before and beyond (if necessary) the coming 'act'.
We reiterate our absolute solidarity with those who have been subject to confinement-without-release within the arms of the law, for the best part of a freezing day. The expression of opposition to government should not be pre-figured as a criminal act. The police took up what is known as a 'Kettle' formation within an hour of the arrival of the protestors- thousands (yes, thousands) of whom are high school children. While the physical presence and movement of the protestors is part of the expression of their opinion, the physical presence of the police and their deeply intimidating formation marks their antipathy to such expression. The rhetoric of 'preventative' action (prevention of rioting, or damage to property) fails absolutely when one considers the intimidatory gesture of confinement within a tightly packed 'chain' of police bodies, backed with a garrison of vehicles and a reserve force of riot police. All this to ensure the 'safety' of the protestors, and the public? Such display of force is totally disproportionate. Such force is in place to silence the message of the protestors. Such force in formation seeks to contaminate the democratic message delivered through the visual mass of the protestors with the violence implied in the disproportionate strength of the police.
All of those involved in the protests today did so in defense of a society we need to reclaim from the impending cuts, a society based on community, not corporation.
In solidarity, Goldsmiths students
24th November 2010
goldinsolidarity@gmail.com
hundreds of students Occupy Senate House grounds in Cambridge.
24-11-2010 23:54
Sheffield Against Cuts Meeting and March To Sheffield Uni Occupation
24-11-2010 23:48
