Activists plan Lib Dem HQ occupation

The dust has barely settled from the thousands of students who descended on London last week to demonstrate against the planned rise of tuition fees, but plans are already being set in motion across the country for further protests. Wednesday 24th November has been proposed by several anti-cuts groups as the next significant occasion to bring the issue to the forefront of both the political and public mindset.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, following the media storm produced by a minority of anarchic protesters, further aggressive action is being organized by radical groups, with the intention of the next protest to focus on attacking the Liberal Democrats rather than the Conservatives with the aim to have the same result at both the Liberal Democrat headquarters in Westminster and Downing Street as they did at Millbank Tower.

The N.U.S. have not collaborated with plans for next week’s events. N.U.S. President Aaron Porter said: “we won’t condemn non-violent direct action where students support it, but I also won’t organise activities that will have no impact, that rob us of influence and public support, or that claim criminal damage is somehow ‘legitimate violence’.” The N.U.S. has instead launched a new scheme, calling on students to vote against their MPs should they renege on their pre-election pledge to oppose any raise in fees. Aaron Porter has admitted that the new scheme is particularly targeted against Liberal Democrats. Speaking to Sky News, Mr Porter outlined that “[the politicians] need to be held to account and we believe this is the best way to do it.”

We won’t condemn non-violent direct action where students support it, but I also won’t organise activities that will have no impact, that rob us of influence and public support, or that claim criminal damage is somehow ‘legitimate violence’

Aaron Porter, NUS President

The Education Activist Network (EAN) helping organise the protests and run by a member of the N.U.S. national executive committee Mark Bergfeld, has been in discussions over plans to not only target key locations in London on what they are calling ‘Day X’ but also to attempt a raid on Clegg’s home in his constituency of Sheffield Hallam. They are also encouraging schoolchildren to become involved alongside students and walk out of lessons on the day.

The EAN has based its attack on the Liberal Democrats on ‘revelations from the Guardian’ suggesting that MPs planned to go back on their tuition fee promises before they were even made.

Another group of activists, the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, also strongly support the planned walkouts on Wednesday. A press statement released by NCAFC states that they ‘expect over 1000 people’ followed by ‘direct action’, though a disclaimer warns that ‘all actions planned are of legal, non-violent nature’.

Elsewhere across the country, other protests are ongoing, with 200 students occupying a lecture theatre at the University of Sussex on Monday evening. Those involved have fashioned a series of timetabled events alongside a ‘quiet study space’ (presumably for those who want to put their prime location to use) in the room, with debates and discussions hosted by political societies and open mic events taking place. The protest has seen support from local MP Caroline Lucas, who became the first ever Green Party candidate to be elected at the last general election in May.

The repercussions from the demonstration on November 10th are clearly still ongoing across the country. Whether the next set of protests will achieve the same level of media coverage and public awareness, whether for the right or wrong reasons, will likely determine how the next stages of the debate will proceed.