Student protests - what next?

Occupation in Nottingham

After another successful day of action yesterday, we look at what lies next for the growing movement against the UK government's austerity measures of cuts to services and rising fees.

Submitted by Mike Harman on December 1, 2010

Yesterday showed continued energy for the fight against austerity as protesters successfully evaded deployments of riot police and horses in towns and cities across the UK, and were joined by similar protests on a large scale in Italy.

In a trend that started during the 24th November, university students were in some cases outnumbered by students from schools and colleges, who are getting hit directly by both the cuts to EMA and tuition fee increases. The character of the protests changed quite significantly from previous days of action, with many areas largely abandoning any attempt to hold an A-B march and rally (often impossible to hold due to aggressive policing anyway), opting instead for highly mobile, smaller groups; evading police lines, blocking traffic, occupying university, local government and shop building. There were also no set piece confrontations with the police - at least none that suited the needs of lazy rolling news TV, with reporters often pictured 'embedded' amongst hundreds of riot police standing around in empty streets, while the protests were occurring across town.

At time of writing there are at least 15 occupations of universities across the UK. - We'll just link to the list maintained by the Edinburgh occupation rather than duplicate it here. Slade School of Art, the University of Nottingham, University College Falmouth and Kings College London were all newly occupied yesterday. Queens in Belfast was occupied briefly (but we understand the space was unheated). There have also been occupations of Birmingham Council House by a large group made up mainly of school students (not sure if this is still ongoing?), Oxfordshire County Hall, and several banks and vodaphone stores. Lewisham town hall was invaded by dozens of protesters (supported by several hundred outside) on Monday during a meeting agreeing millions of pounds of cuts to council services, with similar actions expected today in Camden.

As the weather gets colder the appetite for boring marches and the prospect of spending hours standing around kettled will dim even further (although perhaps not for playing tag and snowball fights), so what's coming up next?

- Some universities are entering their second week of occupation, and being joined by fresh ones every couple of days. These occupations have in some cases successfully opened their doors to school students and the wider community, and nearly all are maintaining active contact with the outside world via frequently updated blogs and twitter accounts. Will we see occupations of schools, sixth form colleges, more local council buildings and high profile landmarks follow this?

- The 'Workers and Students Movement' on Facebook put out a callout for events on 4th and 5th December. Events are being advertised in Atherton, Birmingham, Dewsbury, Lancaster, Leicester, Manchester, Norwich, Sunderland and Wigan. While there is no official march planned in London, there is already a March on Parliament for a Zero Carbon Britain which had been booked previously, and a protest planned against the London Lib Dem conference.

- This all coincides with theUK Uncut a 'National Day of Action Against Tax Avoiders', organised for the 4th December. Previous targets of these protests have included Vodaphone (with an estimated £7bn in avoided tax) and Top Shop, whose owner Philip Green is both an adviser to the government on waste cutting, and has been personally highlighted for hundreds of millions of pounds in tax avoidance.

- On Sunday 5th there are actions planned in Bristol, Colchester, Newcastle and Nottingham.

- In many cases these protests are being called by local anti-cuts groups as opposed to student groups, this should give the lie to the media's (not to mention the NUS) constant portrayal of these protests as only about tuition fees.

- New National Days of Action have been called by the National Campaign Against Feeds and Cuts for the 9th and 11th December (that page is currently a bit confused about dates, we understand the NCAFC is working on it).

- the NUS and UCU, conscious that they've been entirely ignored over the past few weeks, have tried to get back in on the action by announcing a march on the day fee increases are debated in parliament, alongside 'mass lobbying' of MPs (surely they're not suggesting mass occupations of constiuency offices are they?), and a candlelight vigil.

The occupations, rolling and weekend actions are extremely important if what has so far largely been a movement led by students can maintain momentum and expand to incorporate workers, benefits claimaints and pensioners - all of whom are going to be deeply affected by the cuts but have not yet converted this anger into concrete activity on a wide scale. After all "We're all in this together".

Comments

Incubus

13 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Incubus on December 13, 2010

Call on facebook for 'March of Resistance to Education Cuts, London 20 December 2010'

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179218858770566

No idea who, if anyone, is backing this

ALERT! Seems this is a false flag demo! Check FB page for comments!

Mike Harman

13 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Mike Harman on December 13, 2010

Hull Uni occupied two hours ago - http://twitter.com/#!/HSAFC

afaik that's the first university to go into occupation since the vote was passed, that's a very, very good sign IMO.

edit: http://occupiedhull.wordpress.com/

Looks like they have open access to the occupation as well.

Submitted by flaneur on December 13, 2010

Incubus

Call on facebook for 'March of Resistance to Education Cuts, London 20 December 2010'

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179218858770566

No idea who, if anyone, is backing this

ALERT! Seems this is a false flag demo! Check FB page for comments!

In light of how off the cuff and uncontrollable these Facebook events are, how can you even have a 'fake' demo? It's not like people will turn up only to realise they're marching under the banner of GET THE BLACKS OUT, is it?

Looks like water cannons will be coming if things escalate.

Incubus

13 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Incubus on December 13, 2010

In light of how off the cuff and uncontrollable these Facebook events are, how can you even have a 'fake' demo? It's not like people will turn up only to realise they're marching under the banner of GET THE BLACKS OUT, is it?

True, but one of the supposed organisers, Angel Versetti, is a Gert Wilders supporter, and has quotes from Mussolini on his FB page...apparently the EDL (who, as you know, have international links) have said they will show up to 'support the police'...they have also been posting links to pages to grass up 'Fascist' rioters...(Sky, Daily Fail)..They also call on everyone to 'stick together' because the 'police want to divide us' , and then talk about avoiding being kettled....Draw your own conclusions...

Incubus

13 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Incubus on December 13, 2010

Re: Demo 20th Dec-

This Versetti guy has now changed his name to John Abraham on the demo FB page...Fascist views still the same though. Fishy or what?

flaneur

13 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by flaneur on December 13, 2010

'Organising' these things consists of creating a Facebook event whilst you're eating your Coco Pops in your pants. So that's ultimately meaningless given how fluid these sorts of things are. And if the EDL wanted to get stuck in, it'd be far easy to be waiting at the starting point the next time a 'real' demo is called.

Mike Harman

13 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Mike Harman on December 15, 2010

Motion of no confidence being prepared against Aaron Porter - http://news.sky.com/skynews/Article/201009115854589

So while he's a proper little shit and it'll be fun seeing him go, this is just going to mean some Trot takes his place most likely (Claire Solomon?), and seems like the most likely way that protests could be brought under control of the left (whether the NUS itself or whichever group(s) organise the campaign to get rid of him). Having said that though, the NUS has been /so/ irrelevant to all this so far that it seems unlikely things could be meaningfully turned around even with a leadership change.

http://www.counterfire.org/index.php/articles/38-opinion/8829-why-were-right-to-oust-aaron-porter-a-reply-to-sunny-hundal-
Counterfire article

A union leadership that not only ignores the wishes of its members but actively resists them is not fit for purpose.

Whilst we can pull off huge demonstrations, waves of occupations and direct action, and create a fighting student movement without the NUS leadership, just imagine what we could do with them, fighting with one unanimous voice. We want a leadership that is truly at the forefront of our struggle, and it is our democratic right to demand so.

That old slogan still rings true: we’re with the union leaders when they’re with us, and against them when they’re against us. We will not allow the fight to oust Aaron Porter to detract from the crucial work the student movement is doing in fighting against cuts and fees in the face of desertion from our national union. Rather, it is a necessary part of our fight; a fight which is directed against the Government, but needs the backing of the entire student movement. If we are to win then we need a united, strong student movement, with representative and fighting leadership.

yaawwwn.

Mike Harman

13 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Mike Harman on December 16, 2010

Only the Morning Start to go on for now, but http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/98893

Was unfortunately reminded that Billy Hayes is still in charge of the CWU, absolute bastard that he is.

Mark.

13 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Mark. on December 16, 2010

Proposal for a 'European meeting of university movements'

Edufactory

For a New Europe: University Struggles Against Austerity

European Meeting of University Movements: Paris, 11-13 February 2011

From London to Vienna, from Rome to Paris, from Athens to Madrid, a new Europe is emerging. Students and precarious workers, citizens and immigrants, the multitudes are fighting for their lives and future in the front lines against the crisis.

Struggling to reappropriate their rights and the shared wealth that they create everyday. Rebelling against the austerity measures that exploit our present and rob us of our future. Raging against the arrogance of power.

Following the collective consensus of last years’ “Bologna Burns” meetings in Vienna, London, Paris and Bologna and this years’ “Commoninversity” held in Barcelona, Edu-Factory and the Autonomous Education Network join the call for a European meeting for all groups who are involved this common fight to create a powerful network of European of university struggle and beyond. A transnational space to discuss and develop our collective political capacity to counter the attacks against the university and social welfare and to build a new future for everyone.

Through conferences and workshops, panels and assemblies, we will propose the discussion around the key topics of the university, autonomous knowledge production, self-education, networking struggles, transnational political organization and the common.

The time is now upon us to rise up, together, collectively and singularly, to reclaim our lives and build a New Europe based on rights and access. The time has come for us to reclaim what is ours: the common.

For more information: [email protected]

also here

Any opinions?

Mark.

13 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Mark. on December 16, 2010

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Mark.

13 years 3 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Mark. on December 16, 2010

Guerilla Orchestra

The Guerilla Orchestra's Birmingham Division perform Lalo Schifrin's Mission Impossible outside the Bullring at 6pm 10/12/2010. Part of a national protest against cuts in music education and the rise in tuition fees.