Student Protests: Why We Should Support Them

#Nov19 showed that students can put down their pitchers and pick up placards to assemble against tuition fees.

I am by no means a revolutionary, a social democrat if anything, so I’m not going to go on about the necessity for revolution, however in light of last week’s protests for free higher education I do believe there is a necessity for student protests. There is an air of apathy in university campuses with the majority of students either not feeling wholly represented politically, and others who perhaps just don’t care too much about governance. As obnoxious and arrogant as it may sound to suggest it, it is the case.

There’s too much raising of red plastic cups as opposed to the red flag, not enough campaigning against tax loopholes, with students instead choosing to slip into k-holes. Students have historically been the driving force for change all around the world, but it seems that it has come to a standstill in the UK, and at a time where the youngest and poorest are being the hardest hit, it’s vital that students and young people make sure their voices are heard. Students and young people are the within their right to feel like they are being badly represented, with vocational courses being cut, and the hike in the cost of higher education coupled with the fear of unemployment when they leave university because of the shrinking job prospects in the public sector.

5,000 students, however, braved the cold and took to the streets of London last week to demonstrate for a free education, and an end to the coalition governments austerity measures. The march started on Malet Street outside Senate House, where students from London universities met with Students from campuses across the country. Students then marched from the University of London building, down to Holborn, past the Royal Courts of Justice, King’s College Strand Campus, Trafalgar Square and met outside the Houses of Parliament. The march, up until this point, was clean and organised.

It was at Parliament Square where clashes between the protesters and police began. A minority of those involved with the march stormed onto Parliament Square, which had been fenced off, tearing down the fencing which was being guarded by officers. Once they realised that they weren’t able to keep back those determined to get onto the square police retreated and took to filming those on the square. As a result of this, those at the back of the march assumed that the square was the rally point where talks from Student Union leaders and Members of Parliament were being given, and so took to the square themselves. There were other incidents of violence at the Department of Business and Innovation, the NUS headquarters, and The Conservative headquarters, with their building being vandalised.

The rally point was 100 metres further on and the majority of students gathered their to hear speeches from Student Union leaders, leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett, leader of the CND Kate Hudson and MPs: Diane Abbot, Caroline Lucas, and Jeremy Corbyn. The demonstration tailed off at this point with people planning to go to the Department of Business and Innovation to make noise about the student debt sell off. It was here that two people were detained and with the fear of getting arrested or kettled, most people dispersed.

As fruitless as some people may have seen this demonstration to be, it showed that the student movement is strong and united against the treatment of the youngest and poorest in society. It also highlighted that despite the fact the NUS betrayed them, by not backing the march, students wanted to go out in solidarity with one another to demonstrate. The NUS should really be ashamed by their decision not to support the march considering their job is to represent students, but I imagine many of the executive forget that when their only goal is to work their way up in student politics in pursuit of a career in politics in the future. The aim of achieving free higher education won’t be achieved by a single protest, but, last week’s march will hopefully be one of many, and will have hopefully spurred people onto getting more involved in the fight for free education.

Becoming engaged in politics is an important part of the university experience, and many students are shying away from political engagement whilst at university. This is something that should change, and with demonstrations like last week’s we’re moving in the right direction. If more and more students get involved in the movement against the injustice of burdening the young and poor with debt then there is more and more chances to change policy. This means going to demos, getting involved at a university level and going to the ballot boxes.

As for the clashes between students and police, the BBC has done a good job of exaggerating the extent of the incidents. Yes there were scraps between a minority of the people on the march and police, but the extent of this these were a few people in black tearing down the fencing which surrounded parliament square, and throwing paint at government buildings. However, with headlines like ‘Students clash with Police’ the imagine of the entire demonstration fighting with police spring to mind. With every student protest there’s a few people calling for a return to Millbank, but that’s not what the majority of the demonstrators are about.

Levels of anger are at an all time high, with students being given a shit deal. Their institutions are being sold off for private interests, they’re being lied to by politicians, their own union has even betrayed them. It’s more important than ever for students to be more politically active, to attend demonstrations, organise and assemble. Like I said yesterday’s demonstration isn’t going to make parliament repeal tuition fee legislation overnight but it can be the kick start of a student revolution. I’m not talking about a soviet style, ‘let’s burn down parliament revolution’, but instead a ‘let’s unite, protest, demonstrate, and lobby.’ Let students be the driving force for political change, and not in a ‘I’ll work my way through student politics to get a career in parliament’ way, but in a lets be the change we want to start. So get involved on the grass roots level and vive la Revolution.