Thousands join protests against tuition fee rises

Louise Nousratpour
Wednesday November 24, 2010
The Morning Star

Education protests: Demonstrations across the country today saw thousands of school pupils, students, lecturers and parents march on town halls and occupy buildings in anger over the proposed tuition fees rise.

As well as the national demonstration in central London, protests took place in cities including Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford and Glasgow.

Around 3,000 protesters in Manchester congregated outside the town hall. Police blocked the entrance to the building as protesters sat down in front of them, chanting against education cuts and the coalition government.

The demonstration spilled onto Princess Street, causing traffic chaos in the city centre.

University of Manchester Student Union spokeswoman Sarah Wakefield said: "We've had a really peaceful protest."

More than 2,000 demonstrators from across Merseyside converged on Liverpool, chanting "No ifs, no buts, no to education cuts."

Hundreds staged sit-downs outside the town hall later and blocked three main city centre streets to traffic.

In Birmingham around 40 students occupied the University of Birmingham's Great Hall and unfurled a banner demanding that the university's vice-chancellor steps down.

Student Alan O'Connell told the BBC that the protesters had received messages of support from other students occupations around the country.

"I think direct action is the only way," he said.

Education Activist Network spokesman Mark Bergfeld said: "We have the right to protest, we have the right to civil disobedience, we have the right to occupy our lecture halls."

Protest organisers warned of "an unprecedented wave of student revolts" unfolding over the next few months to force a rethink of proposals to increase university fees to up to £9,000 a year.

School pupils and college students joined marches across the country, not only against higher tuition fees, but also in anger over Education Secretary Michael Gove's announcement today scrapping the £30 weekly education maintenance allowance for 16-19-year-olds.

More than 300 secondary school pupils marched on County Hall in Derbyshire against the maintenance cuts and rising tuition fees.

Lecturers' union ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said she understood why school students were joining the protests: "It's the prospect of debt that stops you going to university."