Demo flyer
On mass, in the sunshine
Down the Oxford Road....
Sidestepping....
Mr Officer gets rowdy with his dancing....
Futile attempts to obstruct the march
With tunes pumping out....
We break their lines...
The march began at 4pm, and aided with a soundsystem, headed down the Oxford Road and around the University campus.
Police attempted to stop the demo, but were quickly side skirted by the student protest as it continued back down Upper Brook Street. Scuffles broke out on Brunswick Street, but students nimbly wrong footed the police and broke through their lines.
The new Artur Lewis building is infamous on campus for it restrictive access to undergraduate students. On occupying the building, the mood was near-euphoric amongst the crowd, before settling down to a debate on higher education.
A list of demands were drawn up, known as 'The Arthur Lewis Declaration', which will be issued to the University management with a follow up demonstration today (Wed 23rd April) at 2pm.
The police were typically heavy handed in throwing people to the floor, and aggressively squaring up to the peaceful crowd. We ignored them and got on with it.
For M-channels video footage, see
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1213934526/bctid1517402038
e-mail:
Comments
Hide the following 15 comments
nice one
23.04.2008 09:40
bookworm
Inspiring is an over-used word, but still...
23.04.2008 11:57
Looks like a very well organised action in pursuit of a just cause - surely this will inspire more people to fight the good fight.
What's the next step?
squatticus
Nods
23.04.2008 12:49
loppy
Gives them..
23.04.2008 13:11
Neil T
wow well done, university is for people2 not just funded toffs
23.04.2008 15:03
some of the police there look so sad, the emf from their tetra radio system is probably effecting their minds.17ghz I think is the frequency & its the worst one for people, apperently lincolnshire force were getting afew tumours when it was tested out there, this info is from Powerwatch & other science researchers.
Worth noting which units they were from if they were really aggressive, some look like they didnt want to be there though. How bad does it get before they work more with people on things like this or ignore daft & undemocratic orders?
The electorate are against cuts also.
green syndicalist
Well done, too bad NUS aren't supportive
23.04.2008 16:08
Why can't NUS support actions like occupations? It wouldn't prevent them doing their schmoozy lobbies of ministers.
Bradford student
viva '68!
23.04.2008 19:36
yeh man,
the funky days are back again.
donald trump iv
check out this unbelievably shit and one-sided farticle from the chester news...
23.04.2008 19:50
if you see at the bottow, they took the story from the Press Association.
has anyone press-released the motivations for the demo, the demands of the protests and so on to the PA?
(ideally with contactable spokespersons etc)
otherwise, theyre just going to interview cops giving the usual cop cliches.
and fill in the gaps with their own meaningless drivel.
'68 yeh baby yeah, rock and roll
Things are not always what they seem?
23.04.2008 23:41
Things are not always what they seem....
Philip K Dick
Press Association
24.04.2008 13:12
If you look at the report of the action, you can see it consists *almost entirely* of quotes from spokesmen (police and university).
If you want to write eight stories per shift, you can forget about getting out on the ground and reporting what you see; much quicker to phone up press officers and get quotes, as has happened here.
The BBC treats the PA as a reliable source, but what the PA does is little better than cut and paste from the internet, which anyone could do.
This has been documented in Nick Davies' new book 'Flat Earth News', of which you can read a review here:
squatticus
not what they seem eh Phillip?
24.04.2008 13:23
student
Solidarity...
24.04.2008 17:55
Keep up the good work, we need more of these things to happen!
Tom A
Glad to hear it, student.
24.04.2008 19:06
Trots + Politics = FAIL.
I desperately hope that people won't get fooled again!
Philip K Dick
Under what laws? Defend Democratic Rights!
26.04.2008 09:50
Venceremos!
We Shall Win!
Michael MacGregor
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!
Revolutionary Communist Group
Michael MacGregor
e-mail:
frfiscotland@yahoo.co.uk
Homepage:
http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org
What are your demands?
30.04.2008 20:38
When you describe the march, you refer to "The Arthur Lewis Declaration", but don't make any attempt to summarise its contents or give a link so that people can read it.
I am a graduate student who was in the Arthur Lewis Building having a class at the time you guys occupied it, and I can attest that all you succeeded in doing for that group of students was amusing and perhaps slightly irritating them.
Judging by the slogans I see on your boards, I suspect I (and possibly many of my classmates) would entirely support your campaign, but if your demands are not made clear, you risk looking like you were more interested in having a party, doing something a bit "naughty" than actually making a difference.
Just to be clear -- I am very glad indeed to see this kind of student activism, -- I think there is too little of it about at the moment, and congratulate you for making a stand for something you believe in.
But if you don't make it clear what you're arguing for, it is hard for others to know what to think, and frankly unlikely to make much difference. Even when I popped in to your meeting, it wasn't clear what the main themes were, beyond a general sense that business, the university and the government are all bad in some way. Intelligent people should be able to do better!
A bystander