Today was a resounding success. Thousands of higher and further education, as well as college and 6th form, students went on the streets to show their anger with the government´s cuts and fees agenda for education.
Over 3000 students gathered in Brighton and marched onto the Town Hall. Manchester saw around 4000 and Leeds another 3000 join the national protest.
From Edinburgh to Bournemouth, the feeling of solidarity and support was strongly felt. Around 16 universities were occupied nationally. Estimates involved range from 35,000 to 45,000 nationally. This was a huge success for a protest that was not supported by the NUS and was organised largely by new grassroots activists at colleges and schools.
London had over 8000 demonstrators as students from across the capital converged on Trafalgar Sq and began marching down Whitehall. Scandalously, the police kettled in around 4000 students and detained them on Whitehall for hours, not letting the majority leave until well into the evening. The police hoped to demoralise the protestors and prevent them from taking further action.
They were wrong. The mood on the protest stayed lively with regular chants, impromptu speeches and plenty of discussion amongst activists. When people heard about the Nov 30 day of action they were eager to get involved and carry on the fight.
The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts is happy that students will not stand still and let Parliament take these savage cuts imperviously.
The NCAFC will continue to organise students and plan future actions in order to defeat this constrictive governmental education agenda and, if necessary, bring down the government itself.
The next day of action will take place nationally on the 30th November 2010.
Another national day of action is to be called on the day that Parliament votes on the proposed measures.
About Joana
Do this again in only 6 days really ups the ante. We need to destablise this coalition by creating the impression that they have lost moral authority and are starting to lose control of the agenda and events.
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/11/468668.html
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it
whats needed now is some form of demo that causes widespread CHAOS on the roads maybe handcuffing ourselves {or use climbing equipment} to the outside of bridges on major trunk roads so that traffic under the bridges comes to a stand still around the country this will stop the flow of traffic but ppl must be prepared to be arrested for the cause. if any guys are up for this type of movement YOU need to get the word out for it to be effective. keep me in if ya think of doing this
This time have insight. Whitehall was full of police vans etc. in the backstreets. The MET thinks the best option is to kettle and block off people from the wider area intending to punish and IMO illegally detain people to prevent the movement to other areas (the plan was Lib Dem HQ and Downing Street afterwards).
In fact, except the few trouble makers, a few people were persuaded to join in at anger of being prevented from free movement.
The police wanted the protesters to move on about 12:30 – I was walking by seeing the support. There was an ambulance i assume on stand by (there were no trouble then). Police taking pictures. I popped to the toilet. When i came back walking towards Charing Cross the police vans were moving in from the side streets to Trafalgar Square.
The students really should have got the hint and got out of there. Not to stop the protest but to relocate. I got out of there when I knew I would have been stuck for many hours. Whitehall was very high security. So moving up to Buckingham Palace and heading to Lib Dem HQ would have been a sensible option (other routes were too easy for police to relocate such near Parliament Square. Ironically enough Buckingham Palace was the lowest security area in Westminster (and surrounding area) that day.
Alternatively, people could have beaten the police intelligence by dividing up in half. 50% go to the protest which the police would assume within 30 minutes was all of it. Then the other 50% choose another target slowly assembling as individuals. Sadly enough the police weren’t willing to allow the Downing Street option to happen at 5.30 which is why protesting will always be difficult. To be lawful you have to notify the police with details of where it happens. This means they can prevent it happening.
I was around the area, came back an hour or so later around Palace of Westminster and there were police vans, horses, lines of police blocking access down Whitehall, riot police, huge numbers of police protecting parliament. I thought there was a riot, loads of smoke… happens to be, people keeping warm because they were unfairly detained – it was really cold! The police van and bus shelter was criminal damage but a joke considering scales of an actual “riot”. I will be honest. There were too much police. I estimated 80% of numbers werent kettling or creating a barrier. They were standing around doing absolutely nothing. Conservative HQ had 6 police vans just waiting there and 4 visible officers. I would hate to know the cost of this.
There is need to play them at their own game. They detain you? Why not detain them. Find ways and means of effectively shutting down Whitehall. So, the PM travelling in his armoured car with police escort? Stick a blockade so the bastard can’t go anywhere! Unless there is some secret path under Downing Street to Parliament etc. the only way he could leave (if he chooses to, otherwise stuck for days at no10) would be via walking under armed police escort… which really isn’t gonig to stop a brick aimed at his head (joking, obviously no one would do that! would they?)
Waaaaaaaaaaay more than 45,000. Guardian quoted figure of 130,000. There were HUNDREDS of walkouts and protests, many went completely unreported.
Yesterday was a MASSIVE success.
Don’t stop now. You’re beginning to wake us all up! Thanks guys.
If anyone can figure out how to beat the kettle, you can
Typical. You are quite willing to demonstrate your right to opinion but will quite happily censor any posts that you deem critical. More Tory than you dare admit, it would seem.