Student Riots in London

[shackbleep 0]

Cameron's Poll Tax tbh.

 

Clashes at student fee protest

 

There have been clashes between demonstrators and police in London, as students and lecturers protest against plans to treble tuition fees and cut university funding in England.

 

Protesters have broken into the building housing the Conservative Party headquarters in Westminster.

 

They have set fire to placards outside.

 

Student leaders condemned the latest action. They say about 30,000 people took part in a march earlier.

 

A stand-off is taking place between students and the police, with protesters surging forward at Millbank Tower, chanting.

 

Some protesters are on a roof terrace at the top of the building.

 

Missiles have been thrown at the police, as thousands of demonstrators crowd the street outside.

 

BBC News correspondent Mike Sergeant is at the scene.

 

He says the protesters on the roof have been throwing liquids down and that a female police officer has been injured.

 

And demonstrators have been cleared from outside the Liberal Democrat headquarters, where a car window has been smashed.

 

Elsewhere the massive rally had passed off peacefully.

 

Hundreds of coach loads of students and lecturers had travelled to London from across England for the demonstration in Whitehall, with 2,000 students also travelling from Wales.

 

President of the National Union of Students Aaron Porter condemned the violence as "despicable".

 

"This was not part of our plan," he said.

 

"This action was by others who have come out and used this opportunity to hijack a peaceful protest."

 

The NUS is threatening to try to unseat Liberal Democrat MPs who go back on pre-election pledges they made to oppose any rise in tuition fees.

 

Ministers insist their plans offer a "fair deal for students"

 

Higher education funding is being cut by 40% - with teaching grants being all but wiped out except for science and maths.

 

The government expects the costs of teaching other courses to be funded by tuition fees.

 

It proposes that tuition fees should rise from 2012.

 

The plan is for a lower cap at £6,000, with universities able to charge up to £9,000 - triple the current cap - in "exceptional circumstances".

 

Earlier on Wednesday, att Question Time in the Commons, the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg had a fiery exchange with Labour's Harriet Harman over fees.

 

He was accused of hypocrisy, because the Liberal Democrats opposed tuition fees in the run-up to the election.

 

But he said Labour had brought in tuition fees - and had no policy on university funding.

 

Ms Harman said Nick Clegg was "going along with a Tory plan - to shove the cost of higher education on to students and their families".

 

Like many freshers she said, he had been led astray "by a dodgy man" he met in his first week.

 

Twice, she asked him to specify the size of the cut to university teaching grants - a figure she said was 80%.

 

But Mr Clegg did not say - and instead attacked Labour's record on fees.

 

"Against fees in 1997 - introduced a few months later; against in manifesto in 2001 - introduced top up fees," he said.

 

NUS president Aaron Porter says students will attempt to force a by-election in the constituencies of MPs who renege on a pre-election pledge to oppose any hike.

 

He said: "We will initiate a right to recall against any MP that breaks their pledge on tuition fees."

 

In a speech in June, the deputy prime minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said the coalition would bring in a right for voters to re-call their MP and force a by-election if he or she was found to have been engaged in "serious wrong-doing".

 

Students plan to make Mr Clegg their first target - and say they will be collecting signatures in his constituency on Monday.

 

But as yet, no laws have been brought in to make such "re-calls" possible.

 

The Universities Minister David Willetts said the new system would be fairer than the present one, offering more help to the poorest students.

 

Students would not have to pay anything "up-front" and as graduates, would only have to pay back their tuition fee loans once they were earning £21,000 or more.

 

"It's a very progressive package and I hope young people will not be put off," he said.

 

"We are really putting power in the hands of students. The money will go where they choose but they will only have to pay back when they are graduates in well-paid jobs.

 

"I hope at the end of this we will have a better university system than we have at the moment."

 

Among the crowds at the rally in London are about 400 students from Oxford.

 

Oxford University Student Union President David Barclay said: "This is the day a generation of politicians learn that though they might forget their promises, students won't.

 

Also there was Johnny Davis, who travelled from Birmingham University, with 11 coach loads of students.

 

"The level of passion to protest is amazing," he said.

 

"It shows how people are very concerned. It seems that students are getting hit time after time.

 

"This is an outrage to all students who have been told for the last decade to raise their aspirations and go to university."

 

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said the union had hired hundreds of coaches from across the country.

 

She said the protest was a "very significant event".

 

"It speaks volumes about the anger and concern of students and academics in further and higher education at what this government is trying to do," she said.

 

Greg Judge, a student at the Centre for Deaf Studies in Bristol and an executive member of Liberal Youth, the youth wing of the Lib Dems, said: "The government needs to think again and about the damage it will cause to a generation of young people if this increase goes ahead".

 

Anna Tennant-Siren, a student at the University of Ulster in Coleraine, said: "I am here because it is important that students stand up and shout about what is going on.

 

"Politicians don't seem to care. They should be taking money from people who earn seven-figure salaries, not from students who don't have any money."

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11726822

[manc-mag 1]

Not again bleep! 2nd time today from you!

[shackbleep 0]

Group of marchers on student fees protests attempting to break into Tory HQ at Millbank Tower

 

New video from inside Tory HQ showing smoke bomb thrown in hallway during student protests

 

Student demo: NUS president Aaron Porter: "The actions of a minority, out of 50,000 people, is regrettable."

 

Student demo: Sky home affairs correspondent Mark White: No word on whether there have been arrests or people injured.

 

Mark White: Many students still trying to make their way to Millbank Tower

 

Student demo: Protesters seen on the roof of Millbank Tower in Westminster.

 

Student protest: Front of MI5 Thames House HQ shut down and closed to all visitors - reports

 

Student protest: Reports that riot police are being drafted in to clear the lobby of Millbank Tower

 

Student protest: Reports that crowd getting angry with those on roof of Millbank Tower throwing missiles down.

 

Student protest: London Ambulance Service say three people currently being treated for minor injuries

 

NUS describe people responsible for violence as 'rogue protesters'

 

Student protest: M15 HQ at Thames House sealed with heavy metal doors. Police guarding rear exits

 

Aaron Porter, NUS President: "Disgusted that actions of a minority of idiots trying to undermine 50,000 who came to make a peaceful protest"

 

Student protest: Reports of emergency first aid centres being set up on Horseferry Road.

[Howmanheyman 31682]

What are they protesting about? Is it that Bob Holness and Blockbusters isn't on the telly any more? Or perhaps it's fact that despite wanting to have their own individual 'look', they all end up looking the same, which is a right fucking clip?

[Ayatollah Hermione 13618]

What are they protesting about? Is it that Bob Holness and Blockbusters isn't on the telly any more? Or perhaps it's fact that despite wanting to have their own individual 'look', they all end up looking the same, which is a right fucking clip?

 

We're protesting this post.

[Howmanheyman 31682]

What are they protesting about? Is it that Bob Holness and Blockbusters isn't on the telly any more? Or perhaps it's fact that despite wanting to have their own individual 'look', they all end up looking the same, which is a right fucking clip?

 

We're protesting this post.

Well there's a worthy cause.

[shackbleep 0]

Fucking idiots are doing themselves no favours like. I agree with the principle of what they're protesting about but the way they're going about it absolves them of any credibility in my mind.

 

That said I wouldn't be at all surprised if certain quarters of the media haven't stirred it up a little...

[Ayatollah Hermione 13618]

What are they protesting about? Is it that Bob Holness and Blockbusters isn't on the telly any more? Or perhaps it's fact that despite wanting to have their own individual 'look', they all end up looking the same, which is a right fucking clip?

 

We're protesting this post.

Well there's a worthy cause.

 

T'is all about tuition fees.

[Guest alex]

Should be a counter protest against the ones handing out flyers on Northumberland Street iyam.

[Nyff 0]

Fucking idiots are doing themselves no favours like. I agree with the principle of what they're protesting about but the way they're going about it absolves them of any credibility in my mind.

 

That said I wouldn't be at all surprised if certain quarters of the media haven't stirred it up a little...

 

Oh give over. Yes, I'm not denying that around 1,000 people started causing some trouble that wasn't needed, but that is 1,000 out of a total of around 50K who were out protesting. Of course they aren't doing the cause any favours, but it appears to be the case (at least as the BBC suggests) that people started turning up just to cause trouble and so it understandbly got a little out of hand.

 

I'm gutted that I missed out on going now, though. The busses that were put on my Uni were all full up and we didn't bother with getting the bus there ourselves. Would have loved to take my camera!

[Guest alex]

You always get Class War etc. turning up for big protests like this intent on causing a bit of bother. The cause is irrelevent to them beyond their childish 'bring down Capitalism' diatribe.

[manc-mag 1]

Fucking idiots are doing themselves no favours like. I agree with the principle of what they're protesting about but the way they're going about it absolves them of any credibility in my mind.

 

That said I wouldn't be at all surprised if certain quarters of the media haven't stirred it up a little...

 

Oh give over. Yes, I'm not denying that around 1,000 people started causing some trouble that wasn't needed, but that is 1,000 out of a total of around 50K who were out protesting. Of course they aren't doing the cause any favours, but it appears to be the case (at least as the BBC suggests) that people started turning up just to cause trouble and so it understandbly got a little out of hand.

 

I'm gutted that I missed out on going now, though. The busses that were put on my Uni were all full up and we didn't bother with getting the bus there ourselves. Would have loved to take my camera!

 

You just reach a point where you have to stand up and say eNyff is eNyff.

[Guest alex]

Aye, but he couldn't be arsed to get the bus down there off his own back

[manc-mag 1]

Aye, but he couldn't be arsed to get the bus down there off his own back

 

Can you not read you bellsniff? There wasn't eNyff room.

[Guest alex]

Enyff with the shit puns already

[Howmanheyman 31682]

Aye, but he couldn't be arsed to get the bus down there off his own back

 

Can you not read you bellsniff? There wasn't eNyff room.

[Tom 14002]

Viz Top Tips

KAISER CHIEFS. Promote yourselves by getting on TV news programmes saying you foresaw today's events ages ago.

[manc-mag 1]

Enyff with the shit puns already

 

 

'Nyff said.

[Park Life 71]

Arm the people!!

[Guest alex]

Nice to see them getting some real life experience anyway

[Nyff 0]

Fucking hell

[shackbleep 0]

STUDENTS. While in London, head over to watch West Ham lose later, see how a real angry mob works

 

[shackbleep 0]

Fucking idiots are doing themselves no favours like. I agree with the principle of what they're protesting about but the way they're going about it absolves them of any credibility in my mind.

 

That said I wouldn't be at all surprised if certain quarters of the media haven't stirred it up a little...

 

Oh give over. Yes, I'm not denying that around 1,000 people started causing some trouble that wasn't needed, but that is 1,000 out of a total of around 50K who were out protesting.

 

Unfortunately it's that 0.5% that will be remembered.

[LeazesMag 0]

workshy bastards

[Nyff 0]

Fucking idiots are doing themselves no favours like. I agree with the principle of what they're protesting about but the way they're going about it absolves them of any credibility in my mind.

 

That said I wouldn't be at all surprised if certain quarters of the media haven't stirred it up a little...

 

Oh give over. Yes, I'm not denying that around 1,000 people started causing some trouble that wasn't needed, but that is 1,000 out of a total of around 50K who were out protesting.

 

Unfortunately it's that 0.5% that will be remembered.

 

 

It really, really is.

 

But yeah, unfortunately that is where most of the stories will come from, and the 50K who protested peacfully will barely get a sNyff in the headlines.

Edited November 10, 2010 by Nyff