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.
Back in the mid-fifties, i remember students in CA “rioting”, protesting, sitting-in, etc… The reason, Governor Ronald Reagan signed a bill charging (for the first time ever) $300 per semester (I think) for college tuition… Prior to that it was “free”, except for books and fees. Terrible mess it was. Britain is nothing new.. Taking away “free” stuff almost always results in temper tantrums, if not worse behavior.. But it tickled me to remember..
Grandmother in SC from CA who graduated HS in 55..
After watching Glenn Beck tonight, I am itching to know who is behind “National Union of Students and the University and College Union”.
Any bets? Can we say S-O-R-O-S??
Or an even more interesting question…who is behind Glenn Beck?
A whole lot of Americans!
Anarchists hijacked what was and would have been a peaceful protest…
Then we need to ask who is the puppetmeister behind the Anarchists? They didn’t just spontaneously pop up at the spur of the moment, did they?
It has been a long time since we have had student protests. There are hard-left groups some of them Trotskyist [such as the Socialist Workers Party] who have always sought to take them over, and we have forgotten this, which is probably why everyone was so unprepared.
That said cuts are targetting the services people rely on. We pay enormous taxes, and get little back, money which parents would have used to help their child’s further education. So what are we paying for? Interest on the debts built up by the last government.
That said, the government cuts have been decided at short notice by people new to power, and a new office for budget responsibility which is inexperienced. Some of their decisions are very questionable indeed. We have maintained and increased our overseas aid budget, but have nothing to help educate our youngsters who will end up on state support without qualifications costing almost as much as it would to send them through further education.
Then there are the new aircraft carriers being ordered, while the Harrier vertical take-off planes to go on them are being taken out of service and scrapped. Some military man yesterday made the point that shortly we would not have the capacity to defend the Falklands.
But we have run out of money.