A number of Oxford students expressed their anger at the raised tuition fees in a march organised predominantly by the NUS in London on Wednesday. The protest marks the two year anniversary since the first protest in November 2010. The event was held on the Wednesday in order to coincide with Prime Minister’s Questions as, according to the NUS, this was “the best day to make an impact on policy makers and the press.”
OUSU supported the demonstration and provided transport to and from London.
According to the NUS website, the aim of the march was to “show the government how angry we are at their betrayals and broken promises.” It claimed to be marching for three key principles: education, employment and empowerment.
The sentiment at the protest has been described by those that attended as a bitter one. OUSU President- Elect Tom Rutland commented, “The mood at the protest today was one of discontent and anger: students are facing unprecedented challenges – triples fees, poor graduate job prospects and unacceptable cuts to higher education.”
Lincoln student Nathan Akehurst concurred, commenting, “It was quite militant, and the cold and wet didn’t help. People were angry, worried and also a great deal more nuanced and politically aware than in 2010.”
Others, however, have been keen to point out that the march was a peaceful and positive affair. Second year St. Anne’s student Joe Collin told Cherwell, “The march itself had a great atmosphere, almost like a carnival because of the drums. People were angry, but it definitely wasn’t intimidating.”
Although there was a significant police presence, the protests were absent of violent stand-offs. Those who attended have remained upbeat about the possible consequences of the march.
Rutland continued, “What was achieved was putting student issues on the national agenda: lobbying the government has failed and direct action was our last option. For too long students have been betrayed by the government and when conversations fail, we have to march and take action. We were promised the abolition of tuition fees and no cancelling of EMA and what we got was tripled fees and the end of EMA. With the government faltering and all parties preparing an agenda for the next election, it was time for students to make all parties listen up.”
Others have stressed that whilst the impact might not be immediate, this was an important voicing of the views of students. Akehurst commented, “I don’t think the government will listen, but I do think what we can achieve through the demonstration is a stepping stone to a wider, broader and more active student union that can present a real challenge, as we have seen in Canada.”
Some, however, have expressed disappointment at the way the demonstration was organised by the NUS. After marching through London, the protest was moved to Kennington where a number of speeches were given. One student commented, “It seemed bizarre to move everyone from parliament where we might be able to actually get our message across to a park to listen to people preach to the converted.”
NUS president Liam Burns was heckled as he gave his speech, with several protesters mounting the stage. OUSU President-elect Rutland defended Burns, commenting, “The heckling was carried out by a small group of students who are not representative of the majority. Liam’s done more work with Oxford than previous Presidents and should be commended.”
