Scaremongering tactics slammed

Students and Sabbatical Officers who attended the protest against cuts to Higher Education yesterday criticised the heavy police presence as “unnecessary” and “intimidating”. However, despite a disappointing turnout, many considered it to be a success.

Warwick Students’ Union (SU) sent two coaches of approximately 60 students to London yesterday morning to protest against higher education cuts and ‘privatisation’ of universities. Everyone returned safely without serious incident.

Warwick Against the Cuts and Warwick Labour were two of the main groups represented in the delegation. Around 2,000 people are said to have taken part in the protest organised by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) after reports had indicated an estimated 10,000 attending.

Second-year student Anna Hamre considered the turnout to be “a bit disappointing”. She added: “I think people don’t care as much as last year; things have been passed. But if you disagree with it and you don’t do anything to show your protest then you can’t criticise it.”

History undergraduate Thom Sutcliffe said: “Warwick students are broadly apathetic, people have become disillusioned with politics and are instead concentrating on their career prospects.”

However, 4,000 police officers were judged to have been on duty as well as hovering helicopters, hugely outnumbering the protesters and possibly the most heavily policed demonstration in terms of ratio. 20 people were arrested in total from the march, 12 for ‘breach of the peace’ according to the Metropolitan Police, and one for possession of an offensive weapon.

Despite the presence of elements of the Student Anarchists movement the only drama of the protest concerned an attempt to occupy Trafalgar Square, where a breakaway group set up 10 tents around Nelson’s Column. These were soon removed. Officers in riot gear also blocked the march from joining with the Occupy London camp at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

There were concerns raised as to the heavy police presence at the demonstration. Although violence and vandalism broke out at both protests earlier this year and November of last year, many considered the precautions unnecessary and even intimidating. Some accused the police of ‘scare tactics’ and felt that potential demonstrators had been deterred by the police’s statement yesterday that officers would be armed with rubber bullets.

SU Education Officer Sean Ruston described the statement as “scaremongering” and “inappropriate”, whilst Hamre commented that she believed the police press release had scared off a lot of people and described them as “an intimidating presence”. SU Societies Officer Matthew Rogers said: “The use of [rubber] bullets was a cynical plot to dissuade protesters and a foolish thing to do, increasing the potential for violence.” Warwick students made up a section of the 800 people contained at the rally point at Moorgate.

When asked about the overall aims of the march, there were varied responses. Warwick Labour Vice-President James Entwistle emphasised the effect of the march in the long-term, “it’s something that embarrasses the government. They no longer seem in control”.

Warwick Labour committee member Aidan Hocking highlighted the need to keep tuition fees “on the top of the agenda”, also adding: “it’ll send a message to the leadership of the party that young people are angry”.

More radical views were voiced by Aidan Barlow of Warwick Against the Cuts and Warwick Socialists, who emphasised the need for resistance: “This is a launch pad to get students back into action… The world doesn’t move by apathy it moves by action. I think [the march] will be important for students; it shows we can keep protesting and keep fighting.”

Yolanda Chegwidden of Warwick Against the Cuts summed up the march as saying: “We’re angry and we’re not going away. We were protesting against you last year, and we will continue doing so.”

Matthew Rogers concluded: “It was empowering having people watch the march and see how peaceful we were… I look forward to seeing more Warwick students involved in debates and having students more aware and involved in the political sphere.”