DEFEND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST:
OPPOSE CON-DEM EDUCATION CUTS
The recent wave of student protests has shown the mass dissatisfaction over the Tory-Liberal Democrat plans to scrap the Education Maintenance Allowance for school pupils and increase tuition fees to up to £9,000 per year for university students.
The Guardian newspaper reported that 52,000 people joined the NUS/UCU organised protest on 10th November 2010 against the cuts. The anger and sense of sheer injustice that was felt by a broad layer of students, school pupils and staff was shown clearly on that day with the protest at Tory Party HQ, at Milbank Tower.
The proposed changes to university funding are grossly unfair and regressive. They will lead to an eventual marketization of the education system with only the rich being able to afford quality higher education and deter poorer students from even applying in the first place from fear of being saddled with massive and unaffordable debts.
The occupation of Tory HQ at Millbank Tower has unleashed waves of discontent around the country, with hundreds of thousands of students exercising their democratic right to protest in occupations and demonstrations around the country from Dundee to Plymouth.
However 100’s of arrests have been made following these demonstrations. 22-year-old Bryan Simpson from Strathclyde University was arrested at his home in Glasgow in a dawn raid by police officers at 6am on 24th November 2010. This was prior to a fresh set of planned demonstrations on the 24th November which saw 130,000 college, university and school students take to the streets throughout the UK, including in Glasgow. Bryan was questioned on suspicion of violent disorder, which could lead to a 5 year term of imprisonment. He did not harm or injure anyone. He did not threaten anyone. He denies any accusations of violent disorder.
We, the undersigned, consider the arrest of student protestors to be a disproportionate response which victimises individuals who are expressing their democratic right to protest in the name of defending education.
- We call on the charges against Bryan Simpson and other students to be dropped.
- We pledge support for the Defend the Right to Protest Campaign.
- We denounce the Coalition government’s education cuts as regressive and deeply unjust.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
January 14, 2011
Reached 100 supporters
January 12, 2011
8 Comments
Protesting is our right. They cant just silence everyone because they dont like the message. Students have every reason to be angry.
What a joke. Fees that high will saddle everyone with debt for their whole lives. Cant believe they think this is okay.
my brother needs that ema money for books and travel. these cuts will effect so many people. leave it alone!!!!
9k a year is just insane. i wouldnt have been able to go to uni if this was the case a few years back. stop killing our future.
ITS DISGUSTING. They got free education themselves and now they want to pull the ladder up behind them. Greedy.
At the start when we the people were giving birth to America. We had free college. As do some parts of the world to day. The birth of America was not free. It was pain full . And it still is to day. If the waves of history have given us a reason to defend the right to protest. It is now. America is still giving birth to freedom ,education, and what goes to the very heart of America. the right to protest. You see when you are giving birth to some thing the size of America .It can not be done behind closed doors in silence . It must be done in the open, not in silence . but loud free to protest. Because giving birth to Americas comes with so much pain . THE RIGHT TO PROTEST WAS AMERICAS BIRTH RIGHT TO US ALL . NOT JUST THE WEALTHY, NOT JUST THE BANKSTERS, NOT JUST THE FOR PROFIT CORPORATIONS WELFARE QUEENS, NOT JUST THE FOR PROFIT WAR SYSTEM , NOT JUST THE CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE AND MONEY SPEECH, NOT JUST THE CORPORATE FRIENDLY SUPREME COURT, OR THE TPP!! BUT FOR ALL THE , WE THE PEOPLE GIVING BIRTH TO AMERICA ! A BIRTH THIS SIZE CAN NOT BE STOPED , IT IS MUCH TO BIG!
At the start when we the people were giving birth to America. We had free college. As do some parts of the world to day. The birth of America was not free. It was pain full . And it still is to day. If the waves of history have given us a reason to defend the right to protest. It is now. America is still giving birth to freedom ,education, and what goes to the very heart of America. the right to protest. You see when you are giving birth to some thing the size of America .It can not be done behind closed doors in silence . It must be done in the open, not in silence . but loud free to protest. Because giving birth to Americas comes with so much pain . THE RIGHT TO PROTEST WAS AMERICAS BIRTH RIGHT TO US ALL . NOT JUST THE WEALTHY, NOT JUST THE BANKSTERS, NOT JUST THE FOR PROFIT CORPORATIONS WELFARE QUEENS, NOT JUST THE FOR PROFIT WAR SYSTEM , NOT JUST THE CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE AND MONEY SPEECH, NOT JUST THE CORPORATE FRIENDLY SUPREME COURT, OR THE TPP!! BUT FOR ALL THE , WE THE PEOPLE GIVING BIRTH TO AMERICA ! A BIRTH THIS SIZE CAN NOT BE STOPED , IT IS MUCH TO BIG!
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DEFEND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST:
OPPOSE CON-DEM EDUCATION CUTS
The recent wave of student protests has shown the mass dissatisfaction over the Tory-Liberal Democrat plans to scrap the Education Maintenance Allowance for school pupils and increase tuition fees to up to £9,000 per year for university students.
The Guardian newspaper reported that 52,000 people joined the NUS/UCU organised protest on 10th November 2010 against the cuts. The anger and sense of sheer injustice that was felt by a broad layer of students, school pupils and staff was shown clearly on that day with the protest at Tory Party HQ, at Milbank Tower.
The proposed changes to university funding are grossly unfair and regressive. They will lead to an eventual marketization of the education system with only the rich being able to afford quality higher education and deter poorer students from even applying in the first place from fear of being saddled with massive and unaffordable debts.
The occupation of Tory HQ at Millbank Tower has unleashed waves of discontent around the country, with hundreds of thousands of students exercising their democratic right to protest in occupations and demonstrations around the country from Dundee to Plymouth.
However 100’s of arrests have been made following these demonstrations. 22-year-old Bryan Simpson from Strathclyde University was arrested at his home in Glasgow in a dawn raid by police officers at 6am on 24th November 2010. This was prior to a fresh set of planned demonstrations on the 24th November which saw 130,000 college, university and school students take to the streets throughout the UK, including in Glasgow. Bryan was questioned on suspicion of violent disorder, which could lead to a 5 year term of imprisonment. He did not harm or injure anyone. He did not threaten anyone. He denies any accusations of violent disorder.
We, the undersigned, consider the arrest of student protestors to be a disproportionate response which victimises individuals who are expressing their democratic right to protest in the name of defending education.
- We call on the charges against Bryan Simpson and other students to be dropped.
- We pledge support for the Defend the Right to Protest Campaign.
- We denounce the Coalition government’s education cuts as regressive and deeply unjust.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
January 14, 2011
Reached 100 supporters
January 12, 2011
8 Comments
The EMA was a lifeline for so many kids. Taking it away is just cruel and shows they dont care about working class students at all.
Protesting is our right. They cant just silence everyone because they dont like the message. Students have every reason to be angry.
What a joke. Fees that high will saddle everyone with debt for their whole lives. Cant believe they think this is okay.
my brother needs that ema money for books and travel. these cuts will effect so many people. leave it alone!!!!
9k a year is just insane. i wouldnt have been able to go to uni if this was the case a few years back. stop killing our future.
ITS DISGUSTING. They got free education themselves and now they want to pull the ladder up behind them. Greedy.
At the start when we the people were giving birth to America. We had free college. As do some parts of the world to day. The birth of America was not free. It was pain full . And it still is to day. If the waves of history have given us a reason to defend the right to protest. It is now. America is still giving birth to freedom ,education, and what goes to the very heart of America. the right to protest. You see when you are giving birth to some thing the size of America .It can not be done behind closed doors in silence . It must be done in the open, not in silence . but loud free to protest. Because giving birth to Americas comes with so much pain . THE RIGHT TO PROTEST WAS AMERICAS BIRTH RIGHT TO US ALL . NOT JUST THE WEALTHY, NOT JUST THE BANKSTERS, NOT JUST THE FOR PROFIT CORPORATIONS WELFARE QUEENS, NOT JUST THE FOR PROFIT WAR SYSTEM , NOT JUST THE CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE AND MONEY SPEECH, NOT JUST THE CORPORATE FRIENDLY SUPREME COURT, OR THE TPP!! BUT FOR ALL THE , WE THE PEOPLE GIVING BIRTH TO AMERICA ! A BIRTH THIS SIZE CAN NOT BE STOPED , IT IS MUCH TO BIG!
At the start when we the people were giving birth to America. We had free college. As do some parts of the world to day. The birth of America was not free. It was pain full . And it still is to day. If the waves of history have given us a reason to defend the right to protest. It is now. America is still giving birth to freedom ,education, and what goes to the very heart of America. the right to protest. You see when you are giving birth to some thing the size of America .It can not be done behind closed doors in silence . It must be done in the open, not in silence . but loud free to protest. Because giving birth to Americas comes with so much pain . THE RIGHT TO PROTEST WAS AMERICAS BIRTH RIGHT TO US ALL . NOT JUST THE WEALTHY, NOT JUST THE BANKSTERS, NOT JUST THE FOR PROFIT CORPORATIONS WELFARE QUEENS, NOT JUST THE FOR PROFIT WAR SYSTEM , NOT JUST THE CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE AND MONEY SPEECH, NOT JUST THE CORPORATE FRIENDLY SUPREME COURT, OR THE TPP!! BUT FOR ALL THE , WE THE PEOPLE GIVING BIRTH TO AMERICA ! A BIRTH THIS SIZE CAN NOT BE STOPED , IT IS MUCH TO BIG!
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The EMA was a lifeline for so many kids. Taking it away is just cruel and shows they dont care about working class students at all.