Oxford's oldest student newspaper

Independent since 1920

Speak attack egg-throwing student

 

 

Footage of Saturday’s protest (Daniel Rolle)

 

Protesters marching in favour of animal rights have broken a long-standing promise never to attack University students – after turning on a student who threw an egg at them..

A student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was pursued, harassed and allegedly brought to the ground by demonstrators before police intervened.

The incident took place during the march by animal rights group Speak last Saturday. The student had thrown an egg at marchers, sparking the attack, and was arrested and fined £80 for his actions.

In February 2007 Mel Broughton, one of Speak’s co-founders, promised that the organisation would “never target students of the University”. The scuffle between protesters and the undergraduate was the first time this promise was broken.

Members of Wadham witnessed the tussle, which took place on Parks Road, as the march entered Broad Street.
The 20-year-old student threw an egg at the marchers before running towards Wadham and then down Holywell Street.

Nick Coxon, a first year undergraduate at the college, described how he saw “a guy who appeared to be a student being chased by three protesters, in the opposite direction to the way the marchers were going.

“He got quite a long way away before the three protesters chasing him, who were still holding their protest signs, caught up.

“There was a bit of a scuffle, which it was hard to see due to the fact that many of the protesters had realised what was happening and joined in, some running about 30 yards to be in the centre of the action.

“It was quite shocking how quickly so many of the protesters became interested in violently apprehending the guy, without seeming to have any idea for what reason they were actually chasing him.”

Helen Smith, another Wadham student, said, “We were looking out our window at the protesters, who were taking up the whole of Parks Road, and all of a sudden I was aware of a student being chased down the street.

“I wasn’t sure if he fell or if the protesters brought him down but he was on the floor and it looked like a number of the protesters were attacking him.

“It didn’t last very long because about ten policemen ran in and broke it up. It completely halted the protest for a short while though.”

Thames Valley Police confirmed, “A student was arrested on Mansfield Road after an egg was thrown at the protesters,” but had no record of the alleged violence that followed.

Reporting of the story on the website of the Oxford Mail drew comments from members of the march. One protester wrote, “It is wonderful to see this little wimp getting a nice fine. I was at the march, it was wonderful, and I saw the man do it. Guess he won’t be messing with us again!”

A second protester wrote, “They were all decent people on that march – men, women, children, even a few babies – and that missile could have quite easily struck one of them.

“Yes, there were a few protesters who were angry, and they gave chase. What would you have done if a member of your family or a friend was attacked by a missile throwing thug? Would you just stand there like a coward and let them get away with it?

“The police did protect that thug on Saturday – I just hope that he has learnt the error of his ways.’”

 

Oxford University recently obtained an injunction against Speak, in which the harassment of students was made legally punishable by fines or jail-time.

Section 2 of the Order, dated 25 January 2008, states that, “The Respondents shall be restrained from…assaulting, harassing, molesting, threatening or otherwise interfering with any Protected Person so as thereby to pursue a course of conduct which amounts to harassment.”

However the same act states that such harassment isn’t punishable if it was aimed at preventing or detecting a crime.
A spokeswoman for Speak claimed that protesters only pursued the student for the purpose of restraining him.

She said, “People chased the student who threw the egg,” but added that “people chased him to apprehend him.

“All I was informed of was that someone had thrown something – we weren’t sure if it was an egg or a rock at first, and at the time it was rather alarming.” The spokeswoman, at the front of the march, was unable to comment on the details of the resulting chase behind her.

The spokeswoman added that Speak believed the march had been successful and peaceful.

She added, “We think it went very well. We had a large turnout, with lots of people passing by joining in the march.” Speak themselves had a large stewarding presence at the event.

Speak first moved to Oxford in order to prevent the completion of the new University animal testing laboratory on South Parks Road. The group’s aims have subsequently expanded to include trying to stop all animal testing at the University.

The group holds regular protests around Oxford, with this particular march organised in observance of the “World Day for Animals in Laboratories.” More than 400 people attended the march, which went from Oxpens Road through Oxford to South Parks Road.

Check out our other content

Most Popular Articles