College students In opposition to Cuts And Charges – Thursday ninth December was a day of confusion on the streets of London with complicated and inconsistent policing and 1000’s of indignant college students.
Parliament was debating a three-fold enhance in college tuition charges and college students crammed the primary streets of Whitehall in a loud and at occasions indisciplined protest. Police actions stirred up antagonism, and there have been a lot of expenses during which protesters and press suffered minor accidents as riot police used their batons and police horses additionally made a brief cost into the gang.
A few of the different press photographers overlaying the occasion had been clearly focused by particular person ‘rogue’ cops who intentionally smashed their gear, apparently fearing their photos may present them partaking in brutal assaults on a few of the protesters. Fortuitously I used to be a couple of hundred yards away overlaying the official rally on the Embankment when the worst violence flared up round Parliament.
Though the scholars had been rightly indignant on the enhance in charges, the removing of the schooling upkeep allowance and swingeing cuts in some programs, notably within the arts and humanities that are to lose 80% of their funding, the general temper of the protest was good-natured if exuberant.
Later within the day when a couple of fireworks had been thrown into the police strains in entrance of the Homes of Parliament the gang dancing in entrance of the police turned in the direction of those that had thrown them and chanted towards them, utilizing the sound system to inform them that the police had been solely doing their job and that police too had been affected by the federal government cuts.
On My London Diary you may learn my pretty prolonged account of the march as I noticed it, together with my impression that “that each police and a few of the protesters had been clearly responsible of over-reacting“. I gained’t repeat most of that right here, however one paragraph of my very own experiences near Parliament stands out:
I spent a couple of minutes making an attempt to take photos and getting very squashed earlier than deciding I wanted to push my means out for my very own security, each from the police and from being crushed within the crowd. A couple of minutes earlier I had been within the entrance line and being crushed by the gang towards the limitations in entrance of the riot police, and I and the others round me had been repeatedly threatened by riot police shaking batons at us and telling us they’d assault us if we didn’t transfer again – which was merely not attainable – we had been completely unable to maneuver as a result of strain of the gang.
I made my means all the way down to the world of the Embankment had been the tip of march rally was purported to happen, however few folks had arrived there and it had not began. After a lot indignant shouting on the organisers to cease taking part in music and begin the speeches it did start with speeches from union leaders – together with Brendan Barber and Bob Crow, who acquired a giant welcome – and politicians.
However the rally was then interrupted by somebody shouting that police had attacked the demonstrators in Parliament Sq., charging with police horses, and I joined a lot of others in making an attempt to make my means there. Most had been stopped by police at Bridge Road, however a few of us with press playing cards had been allowed via, whereas the others fashioned one other protest on Westminster Bridge.
Issues had been very confused in Parliament Sq., however many protesters had been nonetheless kettled there, retaining themselves heat by dancing, some round small fires of burning placards. And a plastic safety hut was set on hearth. Many by now had been eager to go dwelling, however all of the exits had been blocked by police.
Police advised some they may go away by going up Parliament Road and Whitehall, and I went with them, solely to search out the best way blocked by a line of police with riot shields who had been by no means serious about my press card (one TV digicam crew did handle to push their well beyond.) Behind them had been a line of police horses, and we had been all pushed again in the direction of Parliament Sq..
I attempted to go from Parliament Road again to Parliament Sq., however a line of riot police refused to let me via, telling me to go to see their boss once I confirmed my press card. I did and listened to him arguing with a bunch of scholars that they weren’t being detained though they weren’t being allowed to go away. It make completely no sense, and is one thing the police typically say which undermines the connection between folks and police that’s important for the cooperation that the police must do their job. This occasion was clearly an enormous personal purpose for policing.
I didn’t hassle to cease and argue as I noticed that a couple of yards to the best, in an space presumably beneath the management of one other officer, folks had been strolling freely via – so I joined them and made my means again to Parliament Sq., turning into Bridge Road. One other police line was stopping the protesters exiting however let me via with out issues once I confirmed my press card and advised them I used to be on my means dwelling.
The protesters, most of whom additionally needed now solely to go dwelling peacefully had been much less lucky and had been detained for an additional 4 or extra hours, and there have been violent incidents and arrests. “Police at one level apparently pushed a big group into a really confined area on Westminster Bridge with a complete disregard for his or her security; some needed to behave medical remedy for crushing, and there may simply have been extra severe or deadly accidents and other people pushed into the freezing river beneath.”
My conclusion to my article on the day was “It was a day of confusion, with protesters and police each failing to grasp what was occurring, and an official pupil management that fails to grasp the temper and anger of the scholars and others – and though the RMT and Invoice Crow had provided assist, the TUC has curiously didn’t take motion, pushing aside its march towards the cuts till March.“
Extra on My London Diary at College students In opposition to Cuts – Day 3.
Tags: Bob Crow, cameras smashed, complicated policing, cuts, cuts in programs, Academic Maintenace Allowance, EMA, fireworks, flares, inconsistent policing, kettled, kettling, London, march, peter Marshall, police, police assaults, police batons, police horses, press card, protest, riot police, rogue officers, pupil charges, pupil march, thre-fold enhance, college tuition charges
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