Tuition fees: London prepares for massive protest

[Joanne98]

Source: Politics.co.uk

London was braced for spectacular student protests today, as activists from across the country gathered in the capital on the day of the tuition fees vote.

The demonstration is expected to be the biggest since the nascent student movement began, following a surprisingly large turnout to last month's Millbank protest.

The march will start in Malet Street, just by University College London (UCL), where students have occupied the Jeremy Bentham room for several weeks.

It will then make its way down to parliament, with other feeder marches set to end in Victoria Embankment where a candlelit vigil will take place.



Read more: http://www.politics.co.uk/news/education/tuition-fees-london-prepares-for-massive-protest-$21386169.htm

[Joanne98]

1. Student fees: more protests planned for defining day

In what is set to be a defining day for English universities and politics, most Liberal Democrat MPs are expected today to join their party leader, Nick Clegg, to force through a trebling of university tuition fees, in the face of what are likely to be angry student street protests and bitter recriminations at Westminster.

Following a late flurry of concern that the coalition's notional Commons majority of 84 was being seriously eroded, David Cameron and the chancellor, George Osborne, last night met as many as 10 potential Tory rebels, mainly on the party right, to order them back into line.

In a further index of the fraught atmosphere, yesterday, the Liberal Democrat whips at one point demanded the energy secretary, Chris Huhne, make the 5,000-mile trip home from the climate change summit in Cancún, Mexico, to vote. Later, it emerged he would stay at the summit.

In a further sign of the stresses, Simon Hughes, the party's deputy leader, told his local party he would be abstaining from the vote at the end of this evening's five-hour debate.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/dec/09/student-fees-protests-liberal-democrats

[Joanne98]

2. The Guardian has a live blog going.....

Student protests – live coverage

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/blog/2010/dec/09/student-protests-live-coverage

[Joanne98]

3. Here's video......

London, England (CNN) -- Thousands of angry students took to the streets of London Thursday for another protest, as British lawmakers prepared to vote on controversial plans to raise tuition fees.

Tens of thousands of students from across the UK were expected to converge on the capital, according to the National Union of Students (NUS), with most marching towards Westminster, where the country's parliament building is located.

Hundreds of police officers were deployed, many with riot gear, as the authorities looked to avoid a repeat of the disturbances last month when hundreds of protesters stormed the Conservative Party headquarters in the city. The Conservatives are the senior partner in a ruling coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/12/09/britain.student.protests/?hpt=T2

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. They've had a mounted police charge

3.51pm: A policeman has been injured, TV pictures seem to show. The man is being taken away on a stretcher. Meanwhile police horses have charged the crowd once and appear to be about to do so again.
PA are reporting that one policeman – I'm not sure if this is the same officer – was hurt after being knocked off his horse.
Scotland Yard say they have no more information about the injured officer beyond what they, too, are seeing on TV.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/blog/2010/dec/09/student-protests-live-coverage