Students planning to step up protests at tuition fees

Published: 18th November, 2010
by JOSH LOEB

STUDENTS fighting tuition fee hikes are planning demonstrations across Camden which could involve day-long univer­sity sit-ins, occupying government buildings and even walkouts from secondary schools.

Hundreds gathered at University College London and the University of London Union (ULU) in Bloomsbury yesterday (Wednesday) to discuss tactics ahead of a day of action on Wednesday.

Privately, some degree students fear there could be disciplinary action from university bosses if the most fiery protests take place. There was talk of written warnings being issued on campuses beforehand.

The strategy meeting came after last week’s protest at Millbank but since then divisions have emerged between student leaders at universities in the Camden area and the chief figures of the National Union of Students (NUS).

It is understood student officers at UCL, the London School of Economics (LSE), Birkbeck and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) have asked for more explicit support from the NUS and its leader Aaron Porter. Ashok Kumar (LSE), Sean Rillo Raczka (Birkbeck), Clare Solomon (Univer­sity of London Union) and Michael Chessum (UCL) were among the activists who last week signed a statement praising the Millbank protesters.

But Mr Porter took a less combative line, saying students had “lost a lot of public sympathy” due to violence at the protests. Yesterday Mr Chessum told the New Journal he believed the NUS was failing to reflect the mood on campuses.

He said: “What we are facing is an ideological attack from the government and what we need is an ideological case. The NUS has shied away from any ideological argument for years.”

Jonathan Moses, of the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts – who writes an opinion piece in today’s New Journal – said: “The momentum is with UCL. We are seeing unprecedented numbers of students getting involved in the campaign here.” Activists say the coming weeks and months could see the first sit-ins in UCL buildings since 1998. 

A UCL spokeswoman said: “The campaigners against tuition fees here at UCL have requested that they be allowed to demonstrate in the quad next week on the national day of action, and that has naturally been authorised. We are used to having demonstrations in the quad, and these are invariably peaceful.”