Senate House occupation ends

The occupation of Senate House by anti-privatisation protestors ended peacefully this afternoon.

The around twenty students from ‘Protect the Public University – Warwick’ (PPU) occupying the building left through the front door of Senate House at around 4.15pm today.

Just before that time, the protesters from the camp outside approached the entrance of Senate House to congratulate and embrace the inside protesters as they left.

Protesters embracing after leaving Senate House / Photo: Michael Allen

Security permitted the inside protesters to leave the building without hindrance.

An anonymous English finalist student said: “It’s so weird to be outside. I haven’t slept properly for eight days.”

Another student who was inside said: “I’m just really tired. I can’t even open my eyes.”

She said, however, that she had learnt a lot from the experience.

“Consensus decision making is a really positive and democratic way to make group decisions.”

A History and Politics finalist who was inside said: “I’m going to have a really nice bath for about two hours.”

A spokesperson for the group told the Boar: “We thought it was important that this didn’t drag out to the end of term and the University didn’t resort to the disproportionate use of legal methods or disciplinary action to threaten us to go out.

“We had a week of activities to open this as a space for dialogue. In this short space of time we have accomplished a great deal towards that end. This is very much the beginning and occupation of the Council Chamber was just one method of ours and there’s a larger group who is willing to engage in further direct action within the academic year.

“We feel that whilst this occupation has finished we do remain constantly present at the University. The yellow squares are not going to disappear.

“We are committed to continuing this fight against this government. Throughout this week our activities both inside and outside are seeing the emergence of a coalition of students and staff engage in the same fight.”

The moment when the protesters emerged from Senate House / Photo: Michael Allen

A letter was published in the Guardian last night in support of the protest and signed by 28 people, including Unite general secretary Len McCluskey and NUS vice-president Vicki Baars.

No members of Warwick Students’ Union (SU) signed the letter.

“I think the fact that the Presidents of other unions have signed means [our Saabs] are not fit to be on the union,” said one of the inside occupiers who is an English MA student.

Nick Swain, president of the SU, said in response: “We made our statement at the start of the occupation and we are standing by what we said in the first instance whilst continuing to offer support to students if they require help from the SU, especially regarding their welfare.”

University spokesperson Peter Dunn said: “We continue to monitor the situation and will exercise the options available to us as appropriate. While we understand that they left Senate House it is not yet clear if the other tent based element of the occupation has ended or is ending today.”