National Camapign Against Fees and Cuts conference
This
weekend a group of activists from Bath Students Against Fees and Cuts
travelled to Manchester to attend the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts conference, joining other Free Education university and sixth form
students from across the country, including people from Warwick,
London, Birmingham, Hastings, Manchester, Sheffield and Oxford.
Topics
discussed included the future of the Free Education movement, upcoming
days of action, and direct action tactics. A series of workshops
throughout the weekend conference covered subjects such as safer spaces,
the housing crisis, building the movement and education privatisation. There
was a strong emphasis on linking together with other "active minorites"
and trying to bring the activist movement together as a whole,
acknowledging educational activism as being part of a broader struggle. One
of the Bath activists said: "It was encouraging to see such a broad
range of people gathered together in support of Free Education. It felt
like a productive weekend and this movement is only going to build in
anticipation of the general election in May."
"We
now have links with other universities and will be working closely with
them on future actions. It was very useful to speak to people and share
ideas. The workshops were also very useful and there was a very
constructive atmosphere."
"There was a real feeling at the conference that this is the real start of the reinvigoration of the student movement."
Bath
Students Against Fees and Cuts are currently planning actions for the
new year. In the meantime, if you want to get involved, follow them on
Facebook and Twitter.
Students from Free Education UWE have been occupying the lecture theatre since Monday, in opposition to tuition fees, police brutality towards student protestors in Britain and elsewhere, and in support of Free Education. They would also like to see an end to the university's connections to the arms trade, which has long been a cause for concern for UWE students.
Bath Students Against Fees and Cuts at the Free Education UWE occupation this afternoon
Bath Students Against Fees and Cuts found
the UWE occupiers in good spirits. The lecture space is occupied 24 hours a
day, however disruption to lectures in the theatre have been kept to a
minimum. On Friday a day of free lectures is planned and is open to
all.
We had a chat with one of the UWE occupiers about how things are going. They told us : "This has been a chance to get students together, particularly first year students, who make up the majority of the students involved. The occupation will end this week due to the Christmas break, but when we come back the campaign will continue with regular meetings, looking towards further action."
Members of Bath Students Against Fees and Cuts are intending to join with other Free Education activists from around the country at the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) conference in Manchester at the weekend, and promise to continue the fight into the new year, with plans for further actions in work.
Following a national demonstration in London on November 19th and subsequent occupations, blockades and marches over the last week throughout the country, including Bath and Warwick, students at the University of the West of England (UWE) have occupied a lecture room in a demonstration in support of free education and an end to tuition fees as well, as an end to police brutality of protestors in America, Mexico and the University of Warwick. The occupiers issued a statement earlier this evening:
UWE Free Education statement of occupation
Students at the
University of the West of England have gone into occupation in support
of Free Education for all. Education is a human right that has
increasingly been annexed off by the political elite for the privileged
few, for those able to take on the £44,000 worth of debt that an
undergraduate degree incurs. In protesting this system over the past
week students at Warwick University have been met with police brutality,
pepper sprayed and threatened with
tasers; students at Sheffield University have been illegally and
dangerously locked into their occupation, with security blocking fire
exits with the use of chains and padlocks.
Bristol’s students are united in solidarity with their comrades
nationally and across the world that are standing up for their rights,
and resisting oppression by the elite. We send our full hearted support
to the students of Mexico who live in constant fear of being abducted
and killed for demanding what is theirs and those in the United States
suffering and resisting police brutality.
Join us in lecture room 2B025 to stand up for:
• Free Education
• Cancellation of student debt
• Unconditional student grants
• Our freedom to protest
• A living wage and fair conditions for all staff who work for UWE directly or indirectly
• Divestment of arms trade connections
• Police off campus
Universities are not factories, nor prisons. Knowledge is not a consumer product and we are not your clients.
In other #FreeEducation news, the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) have announced a conference for student #FreeEducation activists and supporters in Manchester this weekend. http://anticuts.com/register-2014/
Over in Bath, after a heavy week of campaigning, blockading and marching, Bath Students Against Fees And Cuts are holding an open meeting today (Tuesday, 9th December) at 7.30pm in The Westgate to discuss future actions.
This afternoon, over 100 students and allies marched through the streets of Bath to call for the abolition of tuition fees and an end to the marketisation of higher education. Other universities around the country were also undertaking similar actions.
The March for Free Education set off from Bath Abbey at 12:30pm and saw protestors head to the top of the city before singing and chanting their way to a rally in the middle of the new Southgate centre.
As well as Bath Students Against Fees and Cuts (an alliance of students from Bath Spa University and University of Bath), Bath University and College Union (UCU), University of Bath Students Union, Bath Against Cuts, Occupy Bath and the Green Party pledged their full support. Also in attendance were members of BARF Anarchists, The Labour Party, Stop the War Coalition, University of Bath Unison, University of Bath Gender Equality Group, Bath Athiests, Humanists and Secularists, The Quakers, The Socialist Party, Bath Trades Council, Bath Women's Group, Unite the Community and 38 Degrees.
Speakers included students from both universities, Dr Michael Carley From Bath UCU, Joe Rayment from University of Bath Unison, as well as Dominic Tristram, the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Bath and Ollie Middleton, the Labour Party parliamentary candidate.
The students issued a statement earlier in the week regarding their blockades of both Bath Spa University and University of Bath on Wednesday 3 December:
“Education is a right, not a privilege. It is a public good that
benefits society. Education pays for itself. We also can
tax the big businesses that benefit from education, reduce military expenditure
and/or clamp down on tax avoidance. The disruption we're causing is a small
price to pay in comparison to the destruction of the education system. If we
don't do something about it now then privatisation of education is only going
to continue. We want universities and politicians to start
taking this issue seriously.” Bath Students Against Fees and Cuts will be holding an open meeting on Tuesday 9th December at 7.30pm in the Westgate pub, to which all students and allies are invited to attend.
Bath students interviewed had the following to say:
"After a demonstration in London on 19th November with thousands of students in attendance, and subsequent actions that campuses across the country have undertaken this week, including our blockades of the entrances to both campuses on Wednesday, and the occupation in Warwick University, it is clear that there is a revival of the student activist movement and that this is only the beginning of the campaign for free education."
Placards spotted included "All I want for Christmas is an end to tuition fees", "No Cuts, No Fees" and our new favourite placard "David Cameron loves Nickelback."
David Cameron
loves Nickelback
Student Will Pettifer told us "It was important to hold a high profile demonstration in the City of Bath, gather support, network with people who agree with our message, to show Don Foster and the universities that we are not satisfied and won't stop until we get what we want."
Dominic Tristram, the Green Party parliamentary candidate said " Education is a right, it should be free. Education is part of being a rounded person. It should be available to all regardless of needs. That's why the Green Party says no to tuition fees."
Student Maisie Sanders gave us her version of events: "It went really well. over 100 people came. There was lots of support from the public in the streets. The speeches were really good. We've made our voices heard. There were so many people out for the Christmas market who heard what we have to say."
On Wednesday December 3rd, the entrances to both University of Bath and Bath Spa University were blockaded at 8.30am in support of free education by demonstrators from Bath Students Against Fees and Cuts. David Cameron somehow put in an appearance at both universities at the same time, holding a toll sign offering entry for £9000 (the current cost of tuition fees). The students successfully prevented vehicle access to the universities for up to an hour.
David Cameron at
University of Bath
A
group of ten demonstrators initially completely blockaded, and later
partially blockaded, the main entrance to Bath University's Claverton
Down site for over an hour. Despite the inconvenience caused, students and staff alike were
mostly supportive. Plenty of beeps, waves, smiles, and kind words kept
the demonstrators going safe in the knowledge that education as a right,
and not a privilege, was set within the minds of all.
Meanwhile, at Bath Spa, a similar-sized group was able to blockade the main driveway. Despite support from other outraged students, an aggressive van driver attempted to drive into the blockade after around 20 minutes, breaking up the blockade. Demonstrators then began a static demonstration on the campus.
Immediately prior to the demonstration, students from both universities issued the following statement:
“Education is a right, not a privilege. It is a public good that
benefits society. Education pays for itself. We also can
tax the big businesses that benefit from education, reduce military expenditure
and/or clamp down on tax avoidance. The disruption we're causing is a small
price to pay in comparison to the destruction of the education system. If we
don't do something about it now then privatisation of education is only going
to continue. We want universities and politicians to start
taking this issue seriously.”
#FreeEducation blockade at
Bath Spa University
Other universities throughout the country took part in direct actions, including occupations and other demonstrations. At the University of Warwick, police used CS spray and excessive force on peaceful demonstrators in an horrific display of violence against people who are only trying to make a better future for themselves and others.
In support of Free Education, students from both Bath Spa
University and University of Bath are blockading the entrances to both campuses
as of 8.30am today.
With David Cameron masks, a £9000 toll booth sign and students blocking the road,
the students intend to raise awareness to the issues surrounding student debt
and tuition fees. The blockades are part of a national day of action, with
other universities around the country also taking similar actions.
A statement from the students reads: “Education is a right, not a privilege. It is a public good that
benefits society. Education pays for itself. We also can
tax the big businesses that benefit from education, reduce military expenditure
and/or clamp down on tax avoidance. The disruption we're causing is a small
price to pay in comparison to the destruction of the education system. If we
don't do something about it now then privatisation of education is only going
to continue. We want universities and politicians to start
taking this issue seriously.”
A march in support of free education will be taking place on Saturday 6th
December at 12:30pm starting at the abbey.
Follow @stonestanding @Bath_Students @Occupy_Bath and @NCAFC_UK for updates.
These students have been left with no choice but to take direct action. They have marched, petitioned, campaigned and even voted against fees. The universities and our promise-breaking MP Don Foster (and his back-stabbing party) have let them down at every turn. Hopefully this and other actions throughout the country will once again bring this issue to the forefront.
