Newcastle University in occuption -
This blog has been rather quiet recently. That’s becasue students including members of Newcastle Free Education Network are occupying the Fine Art building of the university. Check out the blog for more info here: http://ncluniocc.blogspot.com/
(Source: dangerkeepoff)
Newcastle walkout in the Guardian
As part of the national day of action on the 24th November, Newcastle is having a walk-out and teach-in!
Meet at 12:00 outside the Union Buildinging to march down to Monument for a rally with students from surrounding schools and 6th forms.
Then come to LT1.02 in Claremont Tower at 13:30 for an afternoon of discussions, lectures and workshops to demonstrate an education without a price tag!
Details here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=132467673475881¬if_t=event_wall#wall_posts
NSR News special report on the NUS march 10/11/10
NFEN encourages you to sign the following petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?st53231&1
We need unity to defend education and break the Con Dems’ attacks. Stand with protesters against victimisation.
• Stand with the protestors against victimisation
• Hands off our students, our colleges and our universities
• Broken windows cannot compare to the broken hearts and dreams of a generation denied education and jobs
Wednesday’s 10th November national NUS/UCU 50,000 strong national demonstration was a magnificent show of strength against the Con Dems’ savage attacks on education. The Tories want to make swingeing cuts, introduce £9,000 tuition fees and cut EMA. These attacks will close the doors to higher education and further education for a generation of young people.
During the demonstration over 5,000 students showed their determination to defend the future of education by occupying the Tory party HQ and its courtyards for several hours. The mood was good-spirited, with chants, singing and flares.
Yet at least 32 people have now been arrested, and the police and media appear to be launching a witch-hunt condemning peaceful protesters as “criminals” and violent. A great deal is being made of a few windows smashed during the protest, but the real vandals are those waging a war on our education system.
We reject any attempt to characterise the Millbank protest as small, “extremist” or unrepresentative of our movement. We celebrate the fact that thousands of students were willing to send a message to the Tories that we will fight to win. Occupations are a long established tradition in the student movement that should be defended. It is this kind of action in France and Greece that has been an inspiration many workers and students in Britain faced with such a huge assault on jobs, housing and the public sector.
We stand with the protesters, and anyone who is victimised as a result of the protest.
Initial signatories include:
Mark Bergfeld, NUS NEC
Sean Rillo Raczka, Birkbeck SU Chair and NUS NEC (Mature Students’ Rep)
Vicki Baars, NUS LGBT Officer (Women’s Place)
Alan Bailey, NUS LGBT Officer (Open Place)
Kanjay Sesay, NUS Black Students’ Officer
Matt Bond, NUS Disabled Ctte (Open Place rep)
Michael Chessum, Education and Campaigns Officer UCL SU
Jade Baker, Education Officer Westminster Uni SU
Cameron Tait, University of Sussex Students’ Union President
Nathan Bolton, Campaigns Officer Essex University Students’ Union
Clare Solomon, ULU President
Jim Wolfreys, UCU NEC
Dr Marion Hersh, UCU NEC and Scottish Executive
Alex Gordon, President, National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers (RMT)
Lee Hall, playwright ‘Billy Elliot’
Hilary Wainwright, Transnational Institute
Alex Callinicos, Professor of European Studies King’s College London
Billy Bragg Songwriter
Noami Klein Author and Activist
All in a personal capacity
Sincerely,
Sign it here http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?st53231&1
Manchester University students have occupied their Uni against cuts to higher education! This is a great display of courage and determined, peaceful, direct action - please send them messages of support (manunioccupation2010@gmail.com) and check out their blog for more information as it comes. We expect this to be the first in a wave of national occupations against the cuts.
http://manunioccupation.blogspot.com/2010/11/manchester-university-students-occupy.html
Wednesday’s national NUS/UCU 50,000 strong national demonstration was a magnificent show of strength against the Con Dems’ savage attacks on education. The Tories want to make swingeing cuts, introduce £9,000 tuition fees and cut EMA. These attacks will close the doors to higher education and further education for a generation of young people.
During the demonstration over 5,000 students showed their determination to defend the future of education by occupying the Tory party HQ and its courtyards for several hours. The mood was good-spirited, with chants, singing and flares.
Yet at least 32 people have now been arrested, and the police and media appear to be launching a witch-hunt condemning the protesters as an extreme and violent minority.
Regrettably, NUS President Aaron Porter has condemned these events as a “despicable” attempt by a small minority to “hijack a peaceful protest”. A great deal is being made of a few windows smashed during the protest, but the real vandals are those waging a war on our education system. Admittedly, there were a few individual actions that we do not support. However, the focus on these actions, which the media and police are using to villify the entire action, detracts from the occupation as a whole and are being used to demonise all those taking part. We don’t support those actions, it just means that next time, direct action such as this needs to be better organised, involve more people, and definitely not have the NUS denouncing it as ‘despicable’, but actively supporting such action.
We reject any attempt to characterise the Millbank protest as small, “extremist” or unrepresentative of our movement.
We celebrate the fact that thousands of students were willing to send a message to the Tories that we will fight to win. Occupations are a long established tradition in the student movement that should be defended. It is this kind of action in France and Greece that has been an inspiration to many workers and students in Britain faced with such a huge assault on jobs, benefits, housing and the public sector.
We stand with the protesters, and anyone who is victimised as a result of the protest.