Free Ed sit-in outside Nigel Thrift’s office

Warwick for Free Education organised a sit-in outside vice-chancellor Nigel Thrift’s office on the 6 February 2015.

The sit-in comes shortly after the Students’ Union passed a “No Confident in Nigel Thrift” motion at their annual All Student Meeting with a 70 percent landslide vote.

Reasons attributed to the motion included the pay inequality on campus, with protesters pointing towards Thrift’s £316,000 salary, the violent response to the student sit-in on 3 December 2014, and the potential staff redundancies in the Medical School and Life Sciences.

A Warwick for Free Education spokesperson said: “We have decided to organise a sit-in because it is an effective form of protest which the management cannot ignore.

“We have seen time and time again that anything less than direct action is fobbed off with false promises and delaying tactics. We refuse to allow the events of the December 3 to intimidate us into silence.”

The sit-in attracted around 10 to 15 people and lasted about two hours. The demonstrators had intended to deliver a copy of the ‘No Confidence to Nigel Thrift’ motion but he allegedly refused to come and get it.

The spokesperson added: “We are continuing to place pressure on the University to listen to student’s reasonable demands. One sit-in alone won’t make our voices heard but it all plays part of a bigger campaign.”

Peter Dunn, director of press and policy at the University, responded: “The University is aware of and notes that 682 students have voted in favour of a motion of no confidence in the vice-chancellor.”

He added: “Having groups of students who actively disagree with the leadership of a university has been a feature of many great UK universities of 70 years and this is one way they have of expressing that disagreement”.

Mr. Dunn refused to comment further about what policies the University will carry forward in regards to this issue.