Student anger at London rally
Violence and clashes erupted yesterday in London during a student demonstration against the government's plans to rise tuition fees.
According to the National Union of Students (NUS), which organised the rally, 52,000 demonstrators were gathered in central London yesterday.
The situation went out of control when a group of around 200 people managed to get into the Tory headquarters building, at 30 Millibank.
The response of the police forces did not manage to contain the angry mob before they ransacked the lobby of the building. Windows were smashed, and some masked demonstrators reached the roof of the building, waving anarchist flags. From the roof, missiles were shot at the police.
The demonstrators repeatedly clashed with the police. Bottles and eggs were thrown, with the protesters wielding placard sticks at the police officers, who waved their batons in return.
The day ended with 35 people arrested and 14 injured. The Lib-Dem's building, not far from the Tory HQ, was not targeted by the mob.
Asked about the violent actions that took place, a spokesperson from University and College Union (UCU), said: “The actions of a mindless and totally unrepresentative minority should not distract from [our] message. The majority of staff and students on the march came here to send a clear and peaceful message to the politicians.”
A spokesperson from NUS described the violent group as “just a bunch of idiots”.
Although the violent actions were limited considering the scale of the rally – tens of thousands of people, one of the biggest student demonstrations in recent years – many criticised the police for not being able to restrain the angry groups.
The police authority expressed regret for not having foreseen the scale of the demonstrations – acknowledging that there had not been “remotely enough” officers to contain the protest.
In a public statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “During the planning stage and throughout [the demonstrations] we have been working closely with the NUS and their event planning company. We have developed our response plan on the basis of that information, and that was to respond to a peaceful protest.”
There are currently no plans for another demonstration in the following days, according to UCU.
Ministers have warned that this could be “just the beginning” of a wave of rising protests over the government's cuts.
PM David Cameron, from the G20 in Seoul, South Korea, commented on the happenings this morning: “We won't go back. Even if we wanted to, we shouldn't go back to the idea that university is free.”
Talking to ITV this morning, Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg said he should have been “more careful” when he, along with 57 Liberal Democrat MPs, decided to sign a pre-election pledge to stand against the rise of tuition fees.
“At the time I really though we could do it. I just didn't know, of course, before we came into government, quite what the state of the finances were. We didn't win the election outright. This is also part of a compromise in a coalition government,” he said.
University tuition fees could rise up to £9,000 per year for undergraduate degrees, with university teaching budgets cut by 40%.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
10.11.2010
According to the National Union of Students (NUS), which organised the rally, 52,000 demonstrators were gathered in central London yesterday.
The situation went out of control when a group of around 200 people managed to get into the Tory headquarters building, at 30 Millibank.
The response of the police forces did not manage to contain the angry mob before they ransacked the lobby of the building. Windows were smashed, and some masked demonstrators reached the roof of the building, waving anarchist flags. From the roof, missiles were shot at the police.
The demonstrators repeatedly clashed with the police. Bottles and eggs were thrown, with the protesters wielding placard sticks at the police officers, who waved their batons in return.
The day ended with 35 people arrested and 14 injured. The Lib-Dem's building, not far from the Tory HQ, was not targeted by the mob.
Asked about the violent actions that took place, a spokesperson from University and College Union (UCU), said: “The actions of a mindless and totally unrepresentative minority should not distract from [our] message. The majority of staff and students on the march came here to send a clear and peaceful message to the politicians.”
A spokesperson from NUS described the violent group as “just a bunch of idiots”.
Although the violent actions were limited considering the scale of the rally – tens of thousands of people, one of the biggest student demonstrations in recent years – many criticised the police for not being able to restrain the angry groups.
The police authority expressed regret for not having foreseen the scale of the demonstrations – acknowledging that there had not been “remotely enough” officers to contain the protest.
In a public statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “During the planning stage and throughout [the demonstrations] we have been working closely with the NUS and their event planning company. We have developed our response plan on the basis of that information, and that was to respond to a peaceful protest.”
There are currently no plans for another demonstration in the following days, according to UCU.
Ministers have warned that this could be “just the beginning” of a wave of rising protests over the government's cuts.
PM David Cameron, from the G20 in Seoul, South Korea, commented on the happenings this morning: “We won't go back. Even if we wanted to, we shouldn't go back to the idea that university is free.”
Talking to ITV this morning, Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg said he should have been “more careful” when he, along with 57 Liberal Democrat MPs, decided to sign a pre-election pledge to stand against the rise of tuition fees.
“At the time I really though we could do it. I just didn't know, of course, before we came into government, quite what the state of the finances were. We didn't win the election outright. This is also part of a compromise in a coalition government,” he said.
University tuition fees could rise up to £9,000 per year for undergraduate degrees, with university teaching budgets cut by 40%.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
10.11.2010