A “Cops Off Campus” demo of about 1000 students was held at Warwick University, near Coventry, yesterday. It led to several hundred people re-occupying a university building, one day after a much smaller occupation of some 25 students was evicted by filth with tasers and pepper spray.
Clearly this was the worst move the university authorities and police could have made, as it turned a harmless little sit-in into something big.
Below we repost the press release put out by the students after the demo. Here is an article with a first-hand account of the original occupation and some analysis. You can check the occupation twitter feed for continuing updates.
From anticuts.com
- #copsoffcampus protest draws 1000 activists from across the UK
- Solidarity actions in four cities, including occupations
- Conference Centre occupied by hundreds of activists
- Local protests planned for Saturday
- Amnesty International expresses “concern”
Free education protests have continued nationwide today, and more are expected across the country on Saturday, including in Birmingham, London and Brighton.
At around five o’clock today Warwick University was re-occupied by hundreds of activists from across the UK at the end of a #copsoffcampus demonstration. Over 1000 students attended the protest, which was called in response to the violent eviction of an occupation yesterday by police, who brandished tasers and used CS Spray.
Activists have now occupied the Chancellor’s Suite of the Rootes Building Conference Centre, where a Vice Chancellor’s dinner was due to be held tonight. It has been evacuated and shut down entirely by university management.
Warwick Free Education activist Callum Cant said: “Despite the brutal policing yesterday, we are not intimidated. We can clearly see from the response today that the student movement is behind us and will not tolerate attacks on their fellow students.”
Deborah Hermanns, from the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, said: “We are witnessing the growth of a major new movement for free education on campuses and in the streets. This Saturday’s protests will bring communities and workers into that campaign. The struggle for democratic and accessible education – and against police brutality – is not just a student issue, it is for everyone.”
Omar Raii, from UCL Defend Education, said: “Given the events this week in Warwick, students in Britain are realising that the true role of the police is to crush dissent and support the forces of injustice. The student movement has to make #copsoffcampus one of its key demands. Universities call the police on us because their interests are counterposed to ours and they want to shut down dissent. We cannot win free education until we have freed our campuses.”
Hundreds of students at Warwick are now in occupation! #freeeducation #copsoffcampus pic.twitter.com/KQJV7SAZ0g
— Against Fees & Cuts (@NCAFC_UK) December 4, 2014
Over a thousand attending #copsoffcampus protest at @warwickuni right now #freeeducation pic.twitter.com/1xpDEssGGr
— Novara Media (@novaramedia) December 4, 2014
General assembly is starting. Hundreds still here at the @WarwickFreeEd #copsoffcampus #freeeducation occupation. pic.twitter.com/YnrwJgIRrg
— Michael Segalov (@MikeSegalov) December 4, 2014
