50,000 opposed 3fold hike of student fees in London

by The Observer Sun Nov 14, 2010 17:30

Student protests set stage for winter wave of unrest
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/14/millbank-...lysis

Millbank occupation caught police badly prepared, and fuelled belief on Labour's left and among unions that direct action will bring results

As Britain prepares for a series of public protests of a kind not seen since the early 1990s, the lessons drawn from the biggest student march of recent times will be crucial in determining just how nasty the coalition's coming "winter of discontent" may be.

It was not until well after 2pm that everything changed. The march had reached Tory headquarters at Millbank, further down the river from parliament. A large fire had been lit outside. Windows were being smashed. By late afternoon students were pouring into the building and onto the roof. The mood was ugly and the police were struggling to cope. One student wrapped a scarf around his face and pushed past a policeman into Millbank tower. He was punched twice in the face, breaking his glasses, and once in the stomach. But to him it was worth it. "We were inside Tory HQ," he said laughing, as he recalled the moment of occupation. "Home of the classic enemy of the people."

One former student who was inside Tory headquarters was Thomas Barlow, 27, now a club promoter in Manchester. He believes that without some aggression the protests will achieve nothing. "We know from Stop the War and the march on top-up fees that walking from A to B doesn't get you anywhere. It might have made the front page of the Independent but that would be it. Instead we've all been getting messages of support from France, Australia, New Zealand and America."

Barlow argues that any violence on Wednesday was within reasonable limits: property was damaged but people were not injured. "I don't think any social movement in history has ever made change without damage to property. All great movements have had leaders who were accused of being terrorists or violent: from Emmeline Pankhurst to Nelson Mandela."

Already students are planning more protests in London, Manchester, Essex, Sussex and Glasgow.

That kind of language suggests that last week's scenes are likely to become a more familiar sight than ministers would like to believe.

Student protesters smash windows as they clash with police after entering Tory HQ at Millbank Tower, London.

by schools barricaded, “occupations”, strikes... Sun Nov 14, 2010 17:49

- Bring down the Government, says student march organiser
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23897210...er.do

One of the organisers of the student march which exploded into violence backed “legitimate force” today to bring down the Government.

Mark Bergfeld, who sits on the national executive council of the National Union of Students, called for schools to be barricaded, more “occupations” and a general strike to “break” the Lib-Con coalition.

- Student anti-cuts demo in London (imc-uk)
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/11/467742.html?c=on...59427

Caption: Video Id: 16751392 Type: Vimeo
The Siege of Millbank

by UK repression Tue Nov 16, 2010 09:10

Met closes down anti-police blog
Police force suspension of website that offered advice to students involved in last week's rioting
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/16/student-ant...losed

Scotland Yard last night forced the closure of an anti-police blog which was being used to disseminate advice to protesters pictured at the student fees demonstration.

The website Fitwatch was suspended after the its hosting company received contact from C011, the Metropolitan's public order branch, stating that the blog was "being used to undertake criminal activities".

The move appears to have taken place after a blog posted on the website gave guidance to students who feared they might be arrested for their involvement in the occupation of the Millbank office complex, which houses the Tory party headquarters.

Fit Watch are a fluid group of people who have come together to resist and oppose the tactics of the Forward Intelligence Teams (cops who harass protesters). Anyone, anywhere can, and should fitwatch, and it can be as confrontational or as pacific as you want.

Our intention is to make it harder for them to photograph and intimidate us by getting in the way of their cameras, taking photos, and publishing as much information as we can about them on our blog.

We hope to encourage a culture where their presence is not tolerated, and where action is taken when we see people being photographed, followed or harassed.

Fitwatch blog suspended for "attempting to pervert the course of justice" by Met.

Caption: Video Id: Q63y3RFu-IE Type: Youtube Video
Climate Camp:

by FITWATCH VS C011 Tue Nov 16, 2010 09:16

Dear C011 (the Metropolitan's public order branch) here too now is that same info that you used to shut down FITWATCH, stating that the blog was "being used to undertake criminal activities"...

51 people have been arrested so far, and the police have claimed they took the details of a further 250 people in the kettle using powers under the Police Reform Act. There may be more arrests to come.

Students who are worried should consider taking the following actions:

If you have been arrested, or had your details taken – contact the legal support campaign. As a group you can support each other, and mount a coherent campaign.

If you fear you may be arrested as a result of identification by CCTV, FIT or press photography;

DONT panic. Press photos are not necessarily conclusive evidence, and just because the police have a photo of you doesn’t mean they know who you are.
DONT hand yourself in. The police often use the psychological pressure of knowing they have your picture to persuade you to ‘come forward’. Unless you have a very pressing reason to do otherwise, let them come and find you, if they know who you are.
DO get rid of your clothes. There is no chance of suggesting the bloke in the video is not you if the clothes he is wearing have been found in your wardrobe. Get rid of ALL clothes you were wearing at the demo, including YOUR SHOES, your bag, and any distinctive jewellery you were wearing at the time. Yes, this is difficult, especially if it is your only warm coat or decent pair of boots. But it will be harder still if finding these clothes in your flat gets you convicted of violent disorder.
DONT assume that because you can identify yourself in a video, a judge will be able to as well. ‘That isn’t me’ has got many a person off before now.
DO keep away from other demos for a while. The police will be on the look-out at other demos, especially student ones, for people they have put on their ‘wanted’ list. Keep a low profile.
DO think about changing your appearance. Perhaps now is a good time for a make-over. Get a haircut and colour, grow a beard, wear glasses. It isn’t a guarantee, but may help throw them off the scent.
DO keep your house clean. Get rid of spray cans, demo related stuff, and dodgy texts / photos on your phone. Don’t make life easy for them by having drugs, weapons or anything illegal in the house.
DO get the name and number of a good lawyer you can call if things go badly. The support group has the names of recommended lawyers on their site. Take a bit of time to read up on your rights in custody, especially the benefits of not commenting in interview.
DO be careful who you speak about this to. Admit your involvement in criminal damage / disorder ONLY to people you really trust.
DO try and control the nerves and panic. Waiting for a knock on the door is stressful in the extreme, but you need to find a way to get on with business as normal. Otherwise you’ll be serving the sentence before you are even arrested.

by ANGER monitor Wed Nov 24, 2010 16:14

Student Walkouts and Protests across London (imc-london report at present)

Latest: The march was blocked in Whitehall from moving forward by riot vans. Since then the police have been surrounding the crowds troughout the Whitehall area. See the Timeline of Events and the Tumblewire for the latest reports direct from the streets.

Occupations which began on Monday at SOAS in London and other Universities in Bristol and Manchester continue. New sit-ins started yesterday at Royal Holloway [1 | blog] and other colleges. The National Day of Walkouts in London started at Queen Mary University where students converged at Malet Street University of London's Union building as other walkouts begin across London. From 11.00 there is a Carnival of Resistance procession will start from Malet St, ULU to Trafalgar Square, where a mass demonstartion will take place. There have been calls for marches from there to Parliament and Downing street throughout the day.

FEATURE - http://london.indymedia.org/articles/6092

TIMELINE here - http://london.indymedia.org/action_timelines/walkout-ag...cuts/

vid - STUDENT PROTESTS - police van SMASHED - LONDON today (24 Nov) COMMENTS !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgCIFM-nUbw

Student Fees Demo 24/11/10 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-mpMg8A9uI

BBC WORLD REPORTER: “Given that there are similar protests happening all over the country, we might be seeing similar situations in other parts of the country as the day goes on.”

Related article – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-1182910...2

Protest leaders have claimed that an “unprecedented wave of student revolt is unfolding” – and they say they are following in the spirit of student protests of 1968.

info on ’68 – 40 years ago this month in Paris….Mai 68
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/87672

UK STUDENT PROTESTERS STILL ANGRY - police van SMASHED

Step outside posh boy - UK students still angry

Caption: Video Id: SgCIFM-nUbw Type: Youtube Video
STUDENT PROTESTS - police van SMASHED - LONDON

Caption: Video Id: C-mpMg8A9uI Type: Youtube Video
Student Fees Demo 24/11/10

by Darren C Thu Nov 25, 2010 13:07

Indeed to every public sector worker, to every ordinary person who depends – like we all do – on welfare and services, the actions of school, college and university students today, were an inspiration. They were a rallying call for the start of an an almighty class battle to save our jobs and services and bring down this government.

Today the spirit of ’68 was rekindled – offering hope to millions, an alternative to the despair and misery that would follow so organically from accepting the cuts. Instead we say to everyone – “dare to fight”.

Simon Hardy, of REVOLUTION and a leading activist in the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, speaking on the BBC News, struck the note of the day when he said, “People hate the Tories, they remember what they did in the 1980s. The Liberal Democrats are traitors – they have betrayed millions of young voters. Today a new generation has found its political voice. We demand the withdrawal of the entire cuts programme – or we will bring down this government.”

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.socialistrevolution.org/1451/we-never-knew-t...f-68/

For regular updates: http://anticuts.com/

AND a cool video of the march and occupation in Leeds yesterday.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZMScdYPkps

by London IS burning Mon Aug 08, 2011 02:27

latest TWEET: http://twitter.com/#%21/RuwaydaMustafah: ; RuwaydaMustafah: Reports of disturbances in the following areas: #Wathamstow, #PalmersGreen, #Enfield, #PondersEnd, #Earlsfield and #Westfield. #LondonRiots http://twitter.com/#!/RuwaydaMustafah/status/100338505523281920 Riots and looting spread around Greater London http://storyful.com/stories/1000006194 London faced a second night of riots and looting on Sunday, following a violent outbreak in Tottenham on Saturday that stunned the city. As they did the night before in Tottenham and Wood Green, youths smashed store windows in Enfield and carted away as much as they could carry, pausing only to smash the windows of a police car. After stinging criticism of their response in Tottenham, police in Enfield responded quickly. But the violence didn’t stop there — it spread from north London to Greater London, even as far as Brixton. London disturbances - Sunday 7 August http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2011/aug/07/tottenham...ck-23 2.00am: Here is a summary of events over the course of today and this evening: • A second night of street clashes and looting has taken place around London. Police in riot gear were deployed across the city to deal with trouble in Enfield, six miles north of the site of riots in Tottenham, while looters later pillaged shops in Brixton. • There was mounting evidence on Sunday night that some of the second night of rioting in London was part of an orchestrated plan, as violent disturbances broke out sporadically across parts of the capital. • Doubts have emerged over whether Mark Duggan, whose death at the hands of police sparked the weekend's Tottenham riots, was killed during an exchange of fire . The Guardian understands that initial ballistics tests on a bullet, found lodged in a police radio worn by an officer during Thursday's incident, suggested it was police issue – and therefore had not been fired by Duggan. • Tottenham MP David Lammy has said the riots were "a disgrace", while the Met police said the events were "absolutely unacceptable". Downing Street also used the term "absolutely unacceptable". • Some reports are suggesting an altercation between a female and police in Tottenham may have sparked wider violence.

Now London IS burning...Totthenham, Brixton, Wathamstow, PalmersGreen, Enfield, Ponders, Earlsfield