The student occupation of the Roscoe building (on Brunswick Street) at the University of Manchester continues. The occupation is now well into its second week and is extremely well organised with lectures and meetings taking place everyday so that students can keep up with their learning. Staff from a number of departments within the University and from the Manchester Metropolitan University have sent messages of support. Unfortunately only one Union branch, Unison at the University of Bolton, has sent a message of support so far.
The occupation needs more support, not just practical but moral support too. You can contact them at manunioccupation2010@gmail.com or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mancoccupation. They are also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/roscoe.occupation and there is a blog at http://roscoeoccupation.wordpress.com.
The occupations are currently spreading around the UK, with students at more colleges and unis joining every week. Following any of the above links for the Manchester occupation will reveal other ongoing occupations and how to contact them. Most seem to have a blog or are on Twitter or Facebook.
Meanwhile, tomorrow at 11.30am, students and supporters are assembling at University Place on Oxford Road (opposite Manchester Museum on the University of Manchester campus) for a march to Piccadilly Gardens for a rally at 1pm.
Showing posts with label student protests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label student protests. Show all posts
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Student Protests - Direct Action Shows The Way For Education Workers
A version of this article will appear in the forthcoming issue of Education Worker.
The occupations by students have provided a tremendous boost to the anti-cuts campaign. The government appeared to be coasting, hopeful that they could implement their cuts programme with the minimum of opposition. The union leaders’ response to the cuts has so far being pathetic, calling for a national demonstration in March next year. Little wonder the government were so arrogant in their dismissal of the idea they there would be “French style” resistance to the cuts.
The student protests in November have changed all that. The government were soon forced on to the defensive, employing the age old tactic of trying to blame a “political motivated” minority as a way of distracting attention away from the success of the action. This is a sure sign they are getting rattled and demonstrates yet again that it is only through direct action that we can hope to win. Passive demonstrations, however big, petitions, letters to MPs and endless speeches achieve little. It is only through strikes, occupations and other forms of direct action that we will defeat these cuts.
But all of this work cannot be left to the students alone. If higher education is not to be butchered then workers are going to have to join the action. If union leaders were serious about defeating the cuts they would use their massive resources to support the student actions, making it a starting point for a campaign for wider strike action. But we have to live in the real world. If there is going to be strike action it will have to be built from the bottom up. This means rank and file education workers joining with students to press for strike action.
The student occupations should just be the start. If students and workers can join forces and take action, it will not only turn up the heat on a weak coalition government, it also will give the anti-cuts campaign tremendous momentum and begin to make the idea of a general strike a real possibility. Behind all the bluster and cultivated confidence the government’s position is fragile – there is real anger at the banks which will be directed at the government once the cuts begin to bite. The cuts can be defeated, but as education workers we must begin to get ourselves organised.
The occupations by students have provided a tremendous boost to the anti-cuts campaign. The government appeared to be coasting, hopeful that they could implement their cuts programme with the minimum of opposition. The union leaders’ response to the cuts has so far being pathetic, calling for a national demonstration in March next year. Little wonder the government were so arrogant in their dismissal of the idea they there would be “French style” resistance to the cuts.
The student protests in November have changed all that. The government were soon forced on to the defensive, employing the age old tactic of trying to blame a “political motivated” minority as a way of distracting attention away from the success of the action. This is a sure sign they are getting rattled and demonstrates yet again that it is only through direct action that we can hope to win. Passive demonstrations, however big, petitions, letters to MPs and endless speeches achieve little. It is only through strikes, occupations and other forms of direct action that we will defeat these cuts.
But all of this work cannot be left to the students alone. If higher education is not to be butchered then workers are going to have to join the action. If union leaders were serious about defeating the cuts they would use their massive resources to support the student actions, making it a starting point for a campaign for wider strike action. But we have to live in the real world. If there is going to be strike action it will have to be built from the bottom up. This means rank and file education workers joining with students to press for strike action.
The student occupations should just be the start. If students and workers can join forces and take action, it will not only turn up the heat on a weak coalition government, it also will give the anti-cuts campaign tremendous momentum and begin to make the idea of a general strike a real possibility. Behind all the bluster and cultivated confidence the government’s position is fragile – there is real anger at the banks which will be directed at the government once the cuts begin to bite. The cuts can be defeated, but as education workers we must begin to get ourselves organised.
Monday, 29 November 2010
November 30th - 2nd Day of Education Action in Manchester
For full article in The Mule go to: http://manchestermule.com/article/callout-for-second-day-of-education-action-in-manchester
A call to action on Tuesday November 30 has been launched by university and college students as the struggle against tuition fees and cuts to education builds.
A call to action on Tuesday November 30 has been launched by university and college students as the struggle against tuition fees and cuts to education builds.
- Walkouts in Manchester are planned at 11am for college and school students and at midday for university students.
- Picket lines will be manned from 8am outside colleges and schools and from 9am across university campuses.
- The assembly points are All Saint’s Park (opposite MMUnion) and Manchester University Place at 12 noon.
Prior to the day of action there will be an emergency activist meeting at Manchester Metropolitan University Students’ Union on Monday 29 November at 5pm. It will be held in the social space on the 2nd floor and is open to all.
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Student Occupation at the University of Manchester
The following is adapted from a press release from the student occupation at the University of Manchester. For further info go to http://roscoeoccupation.wordpress.com/.
The student occupation of the Roscoe Building at the University of Manchester is to continue into next week. Activists are using the occupation as a focus for drumming up further support on the Manchester campus as well as in local colleges.
Meetings have been held in the occupied building with several guest speakers addressing a packed lecture theatre, containing University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan and University of Salford students as well as students from various colleges around the region, union
representatives, parents, lecturers, political activists and more.
The occupiers have resolved:
The student occupation of the Roscoe Building at the University of Manchester is to continue into next week. Activists are using the occupation as a focus for drumming up further support on the Manchester campus as well as in local colleges.
Meetings have been held in the occupied building with several guest speakers addressing a packed lecture theatre, containing University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan and University of Salford students as well as students from various colleges around the region, union
representatives, parents, lecturers, political activists and more.
The occupiers have resolved:
- to hold a meeting at noon in the occupied theatre on Monday.
- to remain in occupation for the duration of the weekend, despite being told by the university that we’d be locked in.
- to hold a rally on Tuesday as part of the national protest day, outside University Place.
- to send a delegation down to London for the national coordination meeting on Sunday. The delegates are to stay with the University College London occupation on Saturday night.
Manchester School Students Prevented from Joining Novemeber 24th Demo
A number of secondary schools in Manchester went to great lengths to stop students leaving schools to join the student anti-cuts demo last Wednesday. This is not a new development. At the time of the anti-Gulf War demos, one school with a high percentage of muslin students actually locked students in breaching just about every health and safety law and regulation. This time, it seems, a number of schools called in the police to prevent students leaving.
At one large secondary school in south Manchester, a well organised campaign had resulted in a large proportion of students intending to walk out of school at 12 noon in order to join the demo. However, when they attempted to leave by the main gate, they were met by staff who prevented them from leaving. Not to be deterred, a number managed to “escape” by other exits. However, when they got to nearby bus stops they were met by “pupil support managers” and police who escorted them back to school.
At one large secondary school in south Manchester, a well organised campaign had resulted in a large proportion of students intending to walk out of school at 12 noon in order to join the demo. However, when they attempted to leave by the main gate, they were met by staff who prevented them from leaving. Not to be deterred, a number managed to “escape” by other exits. However, when they got to nearby bus stops they were met by “pupil support managers” and police who escorted them back to school.
November 24th Student Demo in Manchester
Well over 1,000 students took part in the anti-cuts demo in Manchester last Wednesday. A sizable minority were secondary students. The demo largely passed off peacefully despite the best efforts of the police who were intent on provoking the demonstrators. At one point the police snatched a student for dancing because they weren’t happy about it and threatened to arrest him unless he stopped!!
As the demo reached the centre of Manchester an attempt was made to “kettle” the demonstration but many people had the good sense to disperse in order to get through the police lines. The demo was then able to reform and carry on. Towards the end of the demo a major road through the centre of the university area was blocked. The police surrounded the demonstration with horses in an attempt to clear the road.
The road was cleared as the demo broke up. However, groups of students attempted to occupy various building around the university. Plans had obviously been made to stop buildings being occupied but with so many buildings being attempted to be occupied at the same time the plans didn’t work and a number of buildings were occupied.
The demonstration ending with occupations made a pleasant change to having to listen to endless boring speeches by politicians and would-be politicians in love with the sound of their own voices.
As the demo reached the centre of Manchester an attempt was made to “kettle” the demonstration but many people had the good sense to disperse in order to get through the police lines. The demo was then able to reform and carry on. Towards the end of the demo a major road through the centre of the university area was blocked. The police surrounded the demonstration with horses in an attempt to clear the road.
The road was cleared as the demo broke up. However, groups of students attempted to occupy various building around the university. Plans had obviously been made to stop buildings being occupied but with so many buildings being attempted to be occupied at the same time the plans didn’t work and a number of buildings were occupied.
The demonstration ending with occupations made a pleasant change to having to listen to endless boring speeches by politicians and would-be politicians in love with the sound of their own voices.
Saturday, 27 November 2010
Student protests: Solfed member reports
This report was first published on the national Solidarity Federation site.
Initial reports and images from Liverpool London, Brighton and elsewhere on today's events, where Solidarity Federation has a presence for the student anti-fees protests:
While most commenters are agreeing that the protest has been peaceful, police brought out dogs and horses and there have been complaints of "intimidating behaviour." The march was largely halted as of 1pm but quickly got moving again and reached the town hall at around 1.30pm. Hundreds of people filled all levels of the Liverpool One shopping centre, and the protest broke up at around 2.30pm.
The first reported property damage was to buses caught in the moving crowds, one quote had the drivers as "amused and supportive."
The main incident saw students occupy the Guild (Liverpool's Student Union) after the march had broken up, in an interesting twist on the story of over a dozen occupations at universities across the country - apparently many students have remained unimpressed with the performance of the likes of Aaron Porter "representing" them at the NUS.
Despite breathless reporting of a police van being rocked this was unrepresentative of the rest of the march, and our source said it was later left alone "for precisely that reason." Generally, although pictures have emerged of minor scuffles, there seems to have been very little fighting and as the march wound down there were reports of 15 arrests and eight injuries. Anarchists were still fingered for whatever violence did happen however (what busy bees we seem to be in the minds of the media).
With 800 officers drafted in for the day, police tactics seem to have returned to the G20 style which has become Met tradition in recent years.
Initial reports and images from Liverpool London, Brighton and elsewhere on today's events, where Solidarity Federation has a presence for the student anti-fees protests:
Liverpool
Initial estimates suggested a turnout of thousands who brought Lime Street to a standstill, with a fast moving march featuring an attempted sit-down in Castle Street.While most commenters are agreeing that the protest has been peaceful, police brought out dogs and horses and there have been complaints of "intimidating behaviour." The march was largely halted as of 1pm but quickly got moving again and reached the town hall at around 1.30pm. Hundreds of people filled all levels of the Liverpool One shopping centre, and the protest broke up at around 2.30pm.
The first reported property damage was to buses caught in the moving crowds, one quote had the drivers as "amused and supportive."
The main incident saw students occupy the Guild (Liverpool's Student Union) after the march had broken up, in an interesting twist on the story of over a dozen occupations at universities across the country - apparently many students have remained unimpressed with the performance of the likes of Aaron Porter "representing" them at the NUS.
London
Thousands more turned out for a march through the centre of the city which commentators initially described as "noisy but peaceful" - however as protesters swirled around Whitehall our members at the march were warning that the police seemed to be preparing a kettle, the tactic used by the Met to restrict and kill off protests by creating a cordon which gradually tightens around the crowd. Police successfully set the kettle up at around mid-day with only cursory attempts being made to break out of it.Despite breathless reporting of a police van being rocked this was unrepresentative of the rest of the march, and our source said it was later left alone "for precisely that reason." Generally, although pictures have emerged of minor scuffles, there seems to have been very little fighting and as the march wound down there were reports of 15 arrests and eight injuries. Anarchists were still fingered for whatever violence did happen however (what busy bees we seem to be in the minds of the media).
With 800 officers drafted in for the day, police tactics seem to have returned to the G20 style which has become Met tradition in recent years.
Brighton
The city saw an energetic march converging on Dyke Road Park, from age 12/13 up. Numbers were difficult to estimate, but final police figures for the day indicated around 3,000 turned out. One noted at 3.30pm: "Speeches were largely ignored, and over half the crowd has broken away on an unauthorised march. Cops are heavily outnumbered." As it ended many converged on the town hall, where police pushed the crowd back as it attempted to storm the building. Subsequently a Vodafone store was briefly occupied and a Poundland store was looted before around 400 students attempted to storm the central police station before being repelled by lines of riot police. An occupation of Brighton University survived attempts by riot police to evict it, and remains overnight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)