Thousands of students are marching on the UK parliament on Wednesday in the biggest student action in four years. The protest, called by the National Campaign Against Fees & Cuts, is demanding an end to budget cuts and to restore free education.
Contingents of students have arrived in the capital from at least 40 UK towns and cities. Further nationwide days of action have been announced throughout December.
19 November 2014
Four arrests have been confirmed—two protesters have been charged with assaulting police, and two others with affray, a public order offense.
RT footage from the first scuffle of the day.
UKIP have proclaimed their support for the #FreeEducation. The NCAFC have not responded positively.
UKIP appear to have put out a statement in support of #freeeducation. To be clear: we don't want your support, or any racists' support.
— Against Fees & Cuts (@NCAFC_UK) November 19, 2014
BREAKING: Protester arrested and taken into police van. Police continue be berated by protesters.
BREAKING: police are pinning a protester to a riot van. Tension is rising again in Parliament Square.
Protest is moving away from the palace, back towards parliament.
RT spoke to a demonstrator earlier about his motives for protesting:
"What do we want? Free Education! When do we want it? Now!"
A peaceful protest continues outside the palace.
Protesters have regrouped outside Buckingham Palace, where they are continuing to chant.
The protesters in Parliament Square appear to be confused as to the route of the march. They are debating further measures.
The march is heading back towards Parliament Square. The atmosphere appears more peaceful.
One student protester explains his motives to RT.
There have been reports of further arrests
Police making brutal arrests outside john lewis head office, victoria st. #freeeducation
— Luke Neal (@lukeaneal) November 19, 2014
Police are blocking the road in what appear to be attempts to kettle the remaining protesters, outside Scotland Yard.
Here's the RT footage of the latest clashes at 15.38.
Police struggle to contain protesters
Police are struggling to contain rogue and seemingly reckless protesters #freeeducationhttps://t.co/8VIA9yVpbq
— Vinnie O'Dowd (@VinnieoDowd) November 19, 2014
A photo of an injured police officers has emerged.
Unrelated to previous tweets. Just saw this #FreeEducation#Nov19pic.twitter.com/G2wzHUWKlV
— Ben Jackson (@bjacksonuk) November 19, 2014
BREAKING: police have cut off splinter group involved in scuffles as they attempt to continue demonstrating
BREAKING: one arrest made from the splinter group at the #FreeEducation demo.
BREAKING: One policeman injured on #FreeEducation Demo
While students and activists stand in solidarity at the #freeeducation march, public opinion in the UK is clearly divided:
— Thomas Lambert (@MrThomasLambert) November 19, 2014
Good to see it's not all doom and gloom at the #freeeducation march!
— Sebastian Kettley (@SKettley94) November 19, 2014
Green party MP Caroline Lucas, who was formerly the party leader, also told students that tuition fees and budget cuts to universities were "Economically illiterate and morally bankrupt".
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett tells students : "How will we pay for #FreeEducation? We need rich people and big corporations to pay their taxes."
Protesters are demonstrating outside the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills #freeeducation
Department of Business right now #FreeEducation#Nov19https://t.co/yC1LvOQkZ0
— Ben Jackson (@bjacksonuk) November 19, 2014
Labour MP Diane Abbott to students protesting : "If I had faced thousands of pounds of debt, I wouldn't have gone to university."
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RT @eastlondonlines: Scenes from #Westminster as students jump police fences. #FreeEducationhttp://t.co/DqWK10LGeS via BIG SCENES
— Jack D'Arcy (@jjpdarcy) November 19, 2014
There have been small scuffles between masked protesters as they threaten police.
So called black bloc protesters, who cover their faces, have let flares off into the crowd. The police presence remains reasonably small.
The march is beginning to move away from Parliament Square. They may begin marching towards Millbank Tower where riot vans and police have been stationed in anticipation of violence.
Big protest in Westminster now moving onto Parliament Sq pic.twitter.com/2RliQy3ACJ
— Isabel Hardman (@IsabelHardman) November 19, 2014
The protesters have settled in Parliament Square.
Demonstrators have been talking to our RT contributor.
One said the cuts had made them "scared to go to university"
"Right now it's not having a massive effect on me currently, but I know in a years time when I am applying for university and have a 9k a year fee strangling over me, it will have a massive effect on where I can go and my options in the future" they added.
Another criticized the priorities of government spending.
"The government spend so much money on getting bombs to go to war, why can't they spend more money on our books and our work, it's more important"
Some demonstrators are waving the Anarchist flag.
We've arrived #freeeducationpic.twitter.com/JpaDWm0Zb0
— Breffni O' Connor (@GUSRC_President) November 19, 2014
Protesters have broken through police barriers into Parliament Square
The fences surrounding parliament square lasted as long as a nick clegg promise #freeeducationpic.twitter.com/1Hh124VoJV
— . (@_paddington_) November 19, 2014
Police are clashing with protesters as they attempt to tear down barriers. Some masked protesters are carrying wooden baseball bats.
Police are clashing with protesters #FreeEducation FOLLOW LIVE: http://t.co/mHkNT4CGsrpic.twitter.com/n8NEVPxIeD
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) November 19, 2014
Protesters wearing masks have fired flares are are tearing down the barricades outside Downing Street.
Follow the live feed for footage.
Toni Pearce, President of the NUS explained why the union is not officially endorsing the action today. She said the level of risk at the demonstration was unacceptably high:
‘NUS has policy to support free education, and we will continue to lobby and campaign for this, but no action that we take should be put above the ability for all our members to be safe. We have gone to considerable lengths to help change that position, by working with the organisers, but that time has now run out,’ she said.
One protester tells our RT contributor that she is protesting against the government.
As the protest marches down the strand, the demonstrators use the many globalized chain-shops to voice their anger about tax avoidance and unsustainable practice.
Black Bloc tries to force entry to Topshop 'pay your tax!'#FreeEducationpic.twitter.com/8KUkKepO8N
— Roar News (@Roar_News) November 19, 2014
They're taking on McDonald's now 'meat is murder!' #FreeEducationpic.twitter.com/WLkTSI37yo
— Roar News (@Roar_News) November 19, 2014
The Press Association have filed a lunchtime report on the demonstrations:
"Thousands of students from across the country have descended on central London to plead with politicians to end the ‘chain’ of high tuition fees and student debt.
The army of student activists, led by the Student Assembly Against Austerity, gathered outside the University of London near Euston before marching towards Whitehall and the House of Commons.
Hundreds carried placards and banners protesting against high fees, chanting ‘When they say cut back, we say fight back’, and ‘No ifs, no buts, no education cuts’.
A samba band created a carnival atmosphere, before leading them through the streets of the capital, shouting and whooping. As the march began, some of the protesters lit flares.
Organiser Aaron Kiely, from the Student Assembly Against Austerity and a member of the NUS national executive, said their message was very simple: a return to free education and an alternative to tuition fees.
He said: ‘We want to end the lifetime of debt which is a massive burden for students.
‘Students are really angry because we go to university and then at the end of it we get an average of £40,000-worth of debt. That puts you in a hell of a difficult position when you start to think about a mortgage and a family. We need an alternative."
The Savoy hotel has upped it security as the march passes by.
Savoy Hotel’s put a fence up! #FreeEducation#Nov19pic.twitter.com/PWWfGXPQv2
— Ben Jackson (@bjacksonuk) November 19, 2014
Tension is mounting with between officers and demonstrators as shouts of "f*ck the police" and "here we come, Tory scum" can be heard as the protest marches down Russel Square.
PHOTO: #FreeEducation students' march kicks off in London, hundreds take part - LIVE UPDATES http://t.co/zvI9icbODepic.twitter.com/T2Y6gfNOpm
— RT UK (@RTUKnews) November 19, 2014
Comedian and political activist Jolyon Rubinstein has shown his support of the demonstration, tweeting:
#FreeEducation because it's a right not a privilege.
— Jolyon Rubinstein (@JolyonRubs) November 19, 2014
One angry demonstrator told our RT contributor that the fees were hindering young people's chance of success.
"When will this country understand that we are trying to be the best that we can be for England. We want to work hard for this country, and the government are hindering our success by increasing fees" the demonstrator, who studies Media at City University, said.
See where the protesters are with the Ruptly live feed
The NUS have not officially backed today's demonstrations. They have, however, outlined why they believe the current student loan system is unsustainable:
Megan Dunn, NUS vice-president said:
"Not only is a publicly funded education system achievable, it’s also necessary in the current economic and political climate. Our roadmap seriously challenges those who want to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that the current broken system can be fixed with tweaks and tinkering. The clear fact is that the current system we have is completely unsustainable.
The government’s own figures show that the prospect of a huge black hole looming over the budget is very real. It’s time the government started taking this issue seriously and committed to a new deal for students."
Our RT reporter has spotted the Socialist Students who are also campaigning for a £10/h minimum wage. Read more about the £10/h wage here.
Speaking to RT, one protester said:
“With the rise in tuition fees, lots of people have decided not to go to university. I think it should be a right for everyone to educate themselves"
The march has started. Demonstrators have begun marching from the Malet Street start point, with flares signalling the start of the protest.
#FreeEducation demo in London now - 1000s of students & education workers on the march!! pic.twitter.com/of1kN36yL4
— NSSN (@NSSN_AntiCuts) November 19, 2014
Following the vandalism on the NUS building earlier this morning, the NUS have said they know nothing about the perpetrators or timing of the attack.
Colette Bird, the NUS press officer, said:
“We’ve got no idea, we just came in and we saw it.”
Look at what I bumped into #NUS#scabbs#sellouts#nov19#freeeducationpic.twitter.com/AGznwgP9H2
— mayhem (@MayhemH) November 19, 2014
Russell Brand shows his support for the demonstration, if not is actual presence on the day.
“@bjacksonuk: Check this out, @rustyrockets#FreeEducation#Nov19pic.twitter.com/J9Rz52vDuf” yes! No I can rest.
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) November 19, 2014
The Metropolitan Police are preparing for potential violence at Millbank Tower. The tower was a target in November 2010 when, after student demonstrations became violent, protesters smashed windows and occupied the lobby.
There are currently two police officers in the lobby, two riot vans and a surveillance wagon on standby next to the tower.
Steel drums adding to the already potent atmosphere as the number of collected students grows. Watch the live feed to get all the action here.
Research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies in April found that following the increase in tuition fees, three quarters of graduates can expect to still be paying off their student loans into their fifties.
Author of the report Claire Crawford said:
“The new HE finance system will leave graduates with much more debt than before. Yet even with this extra charge on middle earners, there is an increasing likelihood that the government will end up failing to recoup most of its loans".
Students are preparing to march outside the University of London Union. Numbers are reportedly lower than the 10,000 the organizers were expecting.
Students gathered outside the University of London Union #freeeducationhttps://t.co/lLt44kqxuR
— Frances Perraudin (@fperraudin) November 19, 2014
University and College Union General Secretary Sally Hunt remains a staunch advocate of a fee system overhaul. In July she warned that the student loan system was near collapse.
“It is quite clear to us that the system is unsustainable, costly for students and bad value for the taxpayer"
“While the financial viability of the loans system remains in doubt, it is difficult for universities to plan ahead with confidence. This obviously has a knock-on effect on the job security of staff, not to mention the financial security of students. This report is yet more proof that the time has come for an urgent and radical overhaul of student finance,”
Demonstrators are gathering to begin the march. Follow Ruptly's live feed to watch the protest unfold.
Delegations are expected from over 40 cities this afternoon, from as far as Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Hattie Craig, from Birmingham Defend Education and National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, said: “The number of students attending today from all over the country today is a testament to the level of support that this emerging movement has. We are fighting for an education system that is truly liberatory, and really free – not just without tuition fees, but with living grants and institutional democracy”.
Protesters have noted that the recent increases in tuition fees are certainly a 'hair-raising' issue.
#FreeEducationpic.twitter.com/AJu1hpLleR
— Jon Philpotts (@JonPhilpotts) November 19, 2014
Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the LibDems, is a clear target of today's demonstrations after a U-turn in his free university tuition fees policy saw his popularity plummet. Speaking to LBC radio this morning, he defended his actions and the current university fees system:
"Despite all the headline controversies, people have got out their pocket calculator out and worked out for themselves that in terms of what they need to pay out, week in, week out, from their bank account for going to university in England, it is actually cheaper than it was under the old system.
"Under the old system if you were on £25,000 on a graduate job you were paying about £67 per month. Under the new system if you are on £27,000 you will be paying about a third of that or £27 a month. What you have to pay out of your bank account has gone down, not up."
Student anger at the NUS is already clear, with reports of graffiti defacing the NUS building.
Look at what I bumped into #NUS#scabbs#sellouts#nov19#freeeducationpic.twitter.com/AGznwgP9H2
— mayhem (@MayhemH) November 19, 2014
Deborah Hermanns, from the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, said: “Today marks the beginning of a new movement for free education in the UK. Across Europe and the world, tuition fees and privatisation in higher education are being pushed back – and that is because students and education workers fought and didn’t compromise. We are building a movement, not just a march. The days of action in December will provide a focus for actions and energies.”
Half an hour until the demonstration starts and students are preparing to take to the streets.
Signs piled up ready to go for #FreeEducation demo #studentspic.twitter.com/j3N0Ypw1VO
— Abby Young-Powell (@abbyyoungpowell) November 19, 2014
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Tons of students arriving now, kilts and tartan aplenty #FreeEducationpic.twitter.com/XS4Cquxgmn
— George Bowden (@_georgebowden) November 19, 2014