Violence reported at anti-tuition fee protests

Violent clashes reportedly occurred between police and protestors at London’s National Free Education demonstration on November 19.

Videos emerged, showing police wrestling protestors to the ground and protestors vandalising buildings and attacking police officers.

The protest was aimed at the increased cost of university education, but also featured slogans against government cuts and societal racism.

It was organised by the Student Assembly Against Austerity, the Young Greens and the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC), and attended by students from all over the country, including a number from Warwick University. With 10,000 people taking part it was the biggest student demonstration since 2010.

Violence escalated in Parliament Square

Reports indicate that the protests began peacefully but escalated to violence when a large group of protestors broke off from the main march to occupy Parliament Square.

Later on, a number of protestors organised a sit-down demonstration against the Conservative Party outside New Scotland Yard, while others threw paint at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which controls university funding, and the London headquarters of the National Union of Students (NUS).

Four arrests were made and three police officers sustained minor injuries following scuffles with protestors, according to an online article on the Independent newspaper’s website.

Some reports suggest that police were arresting protestors for trying to prevent others from being arrested; student groups have complained that the reactions of some police officers were disproportionate.

There was reportedly “some police repression” at the protest, although “overall the day was very peaceful”, according to an article published on the Student Assembly Against Austerity website.

A video published by the Telegraph showed students with placards chanting the word “revolution”.

11 arrests

11 protestors were arrested, but all were released without charge within 8 hours.

Of these 11, “many had facial injuries and one had to be taken to hospital immediately as the police had refused him medical treatment”, according to the NCAFC website. On top of this, protesters “were thrown to ground and beaten with batons”.

Much of the anger seems to have been directed at the NUS, which refused to back the demonstration.
Beth Redmond, representing the NCAFC, said: “We did not organise what happened at the NUS but we do know students are very angry about being let down by the NUS”.

Miguel Costa Matos, a third-year Politics, Philosophy and Economics undergraduate at Warwick University, said: “It is a shame that full-time NUS officers, in an undemocratic and unaccountable way, violated their mandate to support the demonstration; but I’m glad that Warwick SU maintained their support for the demonstration.”

Not all of the demonstration was violent: Costa Matos was one of many protestors who wasn’t involved with the Parliament Square rally and did not experience any violence first-hand. Instead, his experience was of a peaceful rally where there were “many great speeches, including ones in solidarity with Mexican students who are being shot by police on the streets. [There were] speeches by Jeremy Corbyn MP, Diane Abbott MP and Caroline Lucas MP, among others”.

He added: “Many locals were showing their support as we passed by them”.

The full extent of the violence at the demonstration is so far unclear, but both demonstrators and police officers have been criticised for their actions. The groups which organised the demonstration have suggested that they will be involved in further events in the future, including days of action by the NCAFC on the 3rd and 6th December.