View Full Version : Student protest sparks Tory HQ evacuation - pics
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By Mirror.co.uk 10/11/2010 (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/11/10/)
Students protest near Parliment
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Hundreds of people were evacuated from the building housing the Tory Party headquarters today as a national demonstration against tuition fees descended into chaos.
A window was smashed at Millbank Tower in central London and eyewitnesses said students attempted to force their way into the building.
An estimated 50,000 students and lecturers were taking part in the demonstration against Government plans to cut university funding and charge students up to £9,000 per year in tuition fees from 2012.
One eyewitness who works at Millbank Tower, who did not want to be named, said: "The fire alarm went off and every one was evacuated from the building. There are hundreds of students outside. It looks like they are trying to get into the building.
"We were told that it was a false fire alarm because students were throwing smoke bombs into the building."
He added that around 300 workers gathered outside when the alarm went off.
Students lit a fire outside Millbank Tower, near to where protesters were due to gather for a rally.
Windows at the base of Millbank Tower - adjacent to Tory headquarters at 30 Millbank - were smashed in the protests.
The tower, which has 30 floors, is home to a number of Government agencies including the Environment Agency, the Audit Commission and the Parliamentary Ombudsman, as well as Conservative Party headquarters.
Alarms were also triggered inside CCHQ, but none of the protesters gained access to the building, according to party sources.
Liberal Democrat sources indicated that the party's headquarters in nearby Cowley Street had not been targeted.
The march ground to a halt when a group of students staged a sit-down protest outside Parliament.
Dozens of police officers moved in to form a line outside one of the main entrances to the House of Commons, used by MPs.
Up to 100 students broke away from the main march to protest outside the headquarters of the Business Department.
Scores of police officers moved in to stop the students storming the building.
Just received this bulletin from our Travel Agents at work:
Demonstration.
Route taken: Whitehall, Parliament St, Parliament Sq, St. Margaret Street, Abingdon Street to Millbank
The demonstration has escalated and has now become violent.
It is recommend that people avoid the vicinity which at the moment encompasses the Embankment Area in London SW1, to include the Conservative HQ building at Millbank Towers.
It is thought that the National Union of Students have between 30-50,000 people taking part.
A stand-off is taking place between students and the police, with protestors also having gained access to the rooftop of Millbank Tower.
update
Tuition fees tudent protest descends into violence
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By Mirror.co.uk 10/11/2010 (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/11/10/)
Students protest near Parliment
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A huge demonstration against tuition fees by tens of thousands of students and lecturers descended into violence today when a group of protesters smashed their way into the headquarters of the Conservative party.
A number of police officers were injured after they came under attack from youths, some wearing scarves to hide their faces, amid scenes of chaos.
Eight people were taken to hospital with injuries after the violence flared at Millbank Tower, next to the River Thames in central London.
The demonstration, organised by the National Union of Students and the University and College Union, started peacefully, with up to 50,000 students, lecturers and supporters, marching from Whitehall past Downing Street and Parliament.
But around an hour after the protest started, violence flared at Millbank Tower, close to the Tate Britain art gallery where the march was due to end with a rally.
Hundreds of workers were evacuated from the building, which also houses other organisations including Government agencies, as windows were smashed and a fire was lit. About 50 protesters got on to the roof, dropping a large metal fire extinguisher on to riot police.
Water fire extinguishers were also let off from the roof and eggs were thrown.
On the ground, sticks and other missiles were thrown at police from a crowd of at least 1,000 spilling out on to the normally busy road alongside the building.
Placards and banners were being burnt, to cheers from the crowd, while protesters inside the building used chairs as they smashed and kicked their way through more of the glass frontage, effectively opening up the whole atrium to the crowd.
One policewoman with a ************ wound to her head was led away from the side of the building by two colleagues. A stick was thrown at her as she went.
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A confetti of torn newspaper rained down on the hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Millbank atrium after students gained access to the upper floors of the building. Water also poured down on them, seemingly from a broken sprinkler system above.
A red flare was let off as the atmosphere within the crowd became increasingly volatile. The crowd responded to the heavy police presence with loud booing, screaming and chanting. Students who had got inside the building's atrium tried to pull down the few remaining huge sheets of glass.
Others hurled stuffed pillows while the chants of "Tory scum" increased in volume.
A Conservative Party spokesman said that all its staff were "safe" but could not confirm whether or not they had been evacuated from the building.
NUS president Aaron Porter said a small minority of protesters had "hijacked" the march, describing the violence as "despicable". He said the violence was not part of the organisers' plans, blaming the trouble on a "small minority" he believed had arranged it beforehand.
"We talked about the need to prevent anything like this and how important it was to act in a responsible way. Unfortunately a minority have undermined us."
An NUS spokesman said: "The trouble makers have let down students."
UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: "The actions of a minority should not distract from today's message. The overwhelming majority of staff and students on the march came here to to send a clear and peaceful message to the politicians. The actions of a minority, out of 50,000 people, is regrettable."
The protesters in the Tory HQ building and on the roof released a statement which said: "We oppose all cuts and we stand in solidarity with public sector workers, and all poor, disabled, elderly and working people.
"We are occupying the roof in opposition to the marketisation of education pushed through by the coalition government, and the system they are pushing through of helping the rich and attacking the poor.
"We call for direct action to oppose these cuts. This is only the beginning of the resistance to the destruction of our education system and public services
See the professional rent-a-mob are causing problems again :angry:
Why is it always London drives me insane. I hope its all calmed down by tomorrow as I am off to Wesminster Abbey for the Field of Remembrance I don't really want to run into that lot :huh:
Students protest at Manchester University over tuition fees
November 11, 2010
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1371026_students_protest_at_manchester_university_ over_tuition_fees
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A picture of the protest posted on Twitter by @rezahadisi
About 70 students occupied the finance department of Manchester University in a protest against government cuts to higher education funding.
The peaceful protest at the John Owens Building, which came to an end after two hours, was staged 24 hours after a student rally in London ended in widespread vandalism and scores of arrests.
Jeremy Buck, an organiser of the demonstration and Students Union officer, said: “We are demanding that the University opens its books so that we know where the cuts will fall.
“We want to know how many voluntary redundancies have already been made. We also want to highlight the fact that the Vice Chancellor is paid 20 times the average salary.
“The financial director has denied any cuts are planned, despite the fact that voluntary redundancies have been announced and the combined studies department has already been cut.
“We are here to support lecturers and administrative staff who will be losing their jobs. To oppose the rise in tuition fees that will price out most working class students, and to oppose the privatization of our Universities.”
The demonstrators were demanding to talk to the Vice Chancellor and the director of finance.
Mr Buck said: “Management said they would speak to us if we sent a delegation of three students, but we have said this was not acceptable to us.
Peaceful
“The protest has been extremely peaceful and there has been no trouble. There are University security guards present but no police.
“We have asked for three things, to see the books, for there to be no one arrested, and for there to be no entry to the building by anyone, including the press.”
Police went inside the building as students blocked the hallway and entrance of the John Owens building.
Robyn Forsythe, 20, a second year biology student, was one of the protest organisers. She said: "Everything that happened yesterday had a really great effect on public knowledge of how students feel about the cuts and we don't want that to die down.
"We also want to show that we're serious about this. We don't want to go and smash windows. It is a peaceful protest to show our continuing anger and condemnation. Our demands are that the university open the finance books. We want to know how these cuts will affect us. We are paying fees and we have a right to know."
Fellow student Clare Garain, 20, a bio-medical sciences student said: "By increases fees to £9,000 a year it will increase the poverty gap between rich and poor. We do not agree with all the cuts they are having to make in terms of teaching staff. We want to know how they will affect us."
The protest ended peacefully at 4.15pm and the students left the building.