Totally shambolic policing tactics
The right to protest is being violated by those whose job it is to defend it
As the first students paying £9,000 fees have started this term the fight against fees and cuts to education hit the streets again this Wednesday. Whilst the last National Union of Students (NUS) march two years ago saw the destruction of Tory HQ on Millbank, the fire that ignited from this and saw 50 universities enter occupation and a number of self-organised national demonstrations has died down. Cynically this is probably why the NUS felt it was safe to organise another demo, with out fearing the “embarrassment” of people directing their own movement.
The stated reasons for the march “Educate. Empower. Employ.”, were not exactly inspiring. A number of people retaliated to this focus on employment being the goal of education with the largest amount of anti-work banners that I’ve seen at a demo. And the split was not just in reasons for marching, but in the actual march as well. Whilst the NUS march left from embankment over 1000 students were rallying at UCL to make their own route and take action to bring about free education.
With samba, lots of rowdy Scots and plans to target establishments that embody the growing profiteering from higher education we set off. Though unfortunately the Met police’s so-called “total policing” prevented another Millbank. Every side street was filled with police and draconian orders were put in place so anyone leaving the route could be arrested. The group was surrounded and we were escorted dejectedly to the NUS march.
People may think the focus on events outside the march is a strange place for this comment, but that has been what has made the student and anti-cuts movement an exciting place. People have said how the events at Millbank inspired them to come out and stand up for free education. It is what made the student movement interesting enough to reach out to the inner city youth who were a main contingent of fees protests nationally, furious at the contempt shown by this government. The actions were also the reason that the coalition dropped all attempts to bring in the higher education white-paper, a crude piece of legislation to allow the wide-spread privatisation and sell-off of universities. Obviously they were too scared to have another battle with students in this parliament.
However, over the last year the anti-cuts movement has been ground down through suffocating policing and Her Majesty’s finest were ontop form this week. Although physical harassment occurred with police throwing random punches at protestors merely walking along Embankment, batons stayed in their waistbands and riot police kept their robo-cop helmets out of sight. Instead the very real threat of arrest and the shear number of police were used to suppress anything that could ignite and inspire further protest. One protestor remarked as the multiple lines of police were backed up by further rows of police horses near parliament, “look at the health of our great democracy”.
We profess to give voice to our citizens but yet turn a blind eye to the increasing oppression of students who try and raise their voice. With Alfie Meadows, almost killed by riot police in Parliament Square in 2010, still harassed through the courts two years later on trumped up charges of violent disorder the cost of protest is becoming too dear. How can you invite friends and spread the word about protests when at the best they are dull due to police numbers, but at the worst the normal living of their lives is at risk.
We stopped in front of Parliament, facing a myriad of fences, vans, horses and angry police (with a surprising number appearing to take Movember very seriously). This was merely symbolic. Whereas two years ago people were forcibly kettled here, now we stayed here, willingly kettling our selves chanting “We are all Alfie Meadows”. This sounds stupid, but there was literally nothing else to do but walk miles into South London (the official march route) in the pouring rain.
Although the lack of democracy seemed to bring a cloud of depression over many of the students, the pure hatred of the NUS was beautiful. The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, rightly still feeling betrayed by NUS joyfully waved a “smash NUS” banner. They were hounded on Twitter for dragging people on a wet trek through South London. And finally the NUS president, Liam Burns, was egged by a baying crowd of 200 who invaded the stage where he hoped he would address his loyal subjects. However I must own up I never got that far.
Although the student movement is not currently what it was in 2010, the fight is still going on for a truly free education. On December the 5th students will be taking to the streets again in a number of local actions showing that we won’t just march – watch out for events in London!
