London tuition riot

[old medic]

Royal car attacked as student rioters run riot in London

Published Date: 10 December 2010
By Staff Reporters
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Royal-car-attacked-as-student.6656088.jp

PRINCE Charles and his wife Camilla came under attack and several government buildings were damaged during violent clashes between protesters and police after MPs voted narrowly to allow English universities to increase tuition fees.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were unharmed in the incident, which happened as they made their way to the Palladium Theatre for the Royal Variety Performance.

But police and protesters were taken to hospital following a series of running battles in the Westminster area, after MPs voted to raise tuition fees to up to £9,000.

As many as 30,000 anti-fees demonstrators had converged on central London to protest against the controversial policy. The first signs of violence came when hundreds of people invaded the National Gallery and occupied a room containing millions of pounds worth of artwork.

At 1:30pm the crowd started walking quickly away from Trafalgar Square, along the Mall, towards Buckingham Palace.

Police said the Christmas tree in the square was set alight, and one demonstrator was seen swinging from a Union flag attached to the Cenotaph. Hundreds of armed police were waiting for the protesters at Parliament, which was barricaded by a double row of steel barriers.

The march was expected to carry on to Victoria Embankment, but a large number of protesters remained in Parliament Square.

A number of benches were set ablaze as demonstrators fought running battles with police at the Victoria Street entrance to the square. Missiles were hurled at officers and statues were vandalised, including that of Sir Winston Churchill.

After MPs passed the vote raising fees, protesters set alight a discarded maintenance shed. In the early evening, they targeted the Treasury, trying to gain access to the building by smashing windows, using hammers, spades and stones.

After being denied entry, they moved to the Supreme Court, where they smashed windows.

Other protesters later rampaged along Oxford Street, targeting a number of stores in the shopping thoroughfare.

Within minutes, the barriers erected to stop protesters occupying the centre of Parliament Square had been ripped up and were used as weapons by the rioters against the police.

As darkness fell, many police in riot gear were seen taking off their luminous yellow tops and some of the lights appeared to be dimmed as baton-wielding officers clashed with protesters.

As violence raged, demonstration leaders called out on a loud-hailer that they were also there for the "pensioners, people on welfare and on all those who will lose out as a result of government cuts".

Their late defiant cry at the end of a day of carnage was, "We'll be back".

Riot squad officers began to shepherd the crowd, which included thousands of campaigners who had planned a vocal but peaceful protest, away from Parliament Square and over Westminster Bridge towards the South Bank of the River Thames.

Scotland Yard last night said 22 arrests had been made - one for being drunk and disorderly, three for criminal damage, two for arson, nine for violent disorder, three for assault on police and four for burglary.

 

[old medic]

Defacing the Cenotaph, urinating on Churchill... how young thugs at student protest broke every taboo

By Paul Harris
Last updated at 9:28 AM on 10th December 2010
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1337315/TUITION-FEES-VOTE-PROTEST-Thugs-deface-Cenotaph-urinate-Churchill.html

In a grotesque insult to those who championed the very freedoms which allowed them to stage their protest, a baying rabble of masked and hooded troublemakers turned a student demonstration into anarchy yesterday.

They defiled a statue of Winston Churchill by urinating on it, ripped flags from the Cenotaph ­– the nation’s sacred memorial to those who died in the name of liberty – then lit fires and sprayed slogans on the ground in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament.

The physical victims of their violence, inevitably, were the police.

But the casualties of a day when so few were allowed to hijack a legitimate protest were respect and common decency.

From the bottles of urine they hurled aloft, to the scaffolding poles and increasingly dangerous missiles they threw, democracy was held in contempt.

Windows were smashed at the Supreme Court building. Even the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square – a symbol of peace and goodwill – became a focus for senseless vandalism.

Once again, it was the actions of a minority which overpowered all attempts to keep this protest peaceful.

Every symbol of government or establishment became a target. Anything to hand became a missile.

I saw wood, metal, paint-bombs and smoke canisters hurled at male and female officers.

Police horses were beaten with sticks and at least one iron bar when a section of fencing was used to repel a line of mounted officers.

One of them suffered a serious neck injury after being trampled when he fell from the saddle. At least two other officers were badly hurt.

After four weeks of protests, four major riots and too many confrontations to count, the clock had been ticking relentlessly towards the vote the students had been so determined to change.

Inevitably, the Government did precisely what it said it was going to do about changing the way higher education is funded in this country.

But for hundreds of hard-core demonstrators, all done up in their hoods and scarves, it was also the last chance to spread their poison before the students went off on their Christmas holidays

The irony of attacking and defacing monuments to the freedom which allowed this demonstration to take place clearly escaped the mob. In a sinister echo of the anti-capitalist riots ten years ago, protesters donned black balaclavas to carry out their assault.

Just as then, Churchill’s statue on Parliament Green, decorated in 2000 with a Mohican haircut made from vandalised turf, became a focus. And the plinth became a toilet.

Someone climbed up the base and gave a clenched-fist salute to a cheering crowd. Someone else went to spray graffiti on the inscription.

Nearby, two masked men tried to smash a window in the Treasury building in an apparent attempt to storm it. A protester scrawled ‘F*** fees’ on a wall.

But it was the desecration of the Cenotaph which broke all taboos. Four weeks ago I stood here to watch thousands pay their respects to those who died in two world wars, and to remember in prayer those who gave their lives in conflicts that followed.

All that meant nothing to the dark-haired figure who climbed the base of the monument – using the inscription on a bronze plaque as a foothold. Someone else stole a flag from the monument.

If anyone had planned this as a strategy to cause outrage, it could hardly have been more disrespectful. More likely, it simply symbolised the mindlessness of home-grown extremists intent on rising against the establishment.

Quite what the political significance might be of setting fire to the Trafalgar Square tree must remain a mystery.

In a further festive touch, protesters stole Christmas baubles from decorations in shops and businesses along the route, filled them with paint and launched them at police. Two officers who caught a broadside emerged in riot gear coloured in pale pastel shades.

It had started predictably enough – a march, a rally, containment and anger. In fairness, many of the demonstrators had a right to be angry.

These were the ones whose futures may be in the balance now they have to fund their own further education, the ones whose protest was nothing but democratic and genuine.

Then the climate changed. Parliament Square was cordoned off at all exits as police struggled to contain the unrest.

Students used metal fencing to charge at officers and threw sticks as they tried to break through to Parliament. In response, police were seen using batons to hold them back, while mounted officers advanced into the crowds.

Inside the square, fires were created from piles of placards, burning to the accompaniment of loud rap music played to the crowd.

Fireworks shot into the sky to the sound of loud cheers. ‘Tory Scum’ seemed to be the favourite slogan. A lone protester wore a hostage-style hood embellished with the slogan: ‘Off with their heads’.

One of the most startling features of this protest, once again, was the age of the demonstrators. Schoolchildren as young as 14 joined students from all over the country, trade union activists and political groups.

Some of the children admitted they had bunked off school to be here.

It was a lesson in anarchy they could probably have done without.



Bloodied bobbies who faced the hate mob

By Charlotte Gill, Ryan Kiseil and Eleanor Harding

They faced a merciless hail of rocks, bottles, flares, paint bombs, snooker balls, fireworks, bricks and steel barriers.

By last night six police officers were seriously ill in hospital after rampaging mobs hell-bent on violence hijacked yesterday’s tuition fees protest.

One was knocked unconscious and suffered a serious neck injury.

A mounted officer who came off his horse after being attacked by protesters sustained leg injuries when he was trampled by the animal.

There was no disguising the anger of Metropolitan Police spokesman Superintendent Julia Pendry as she described the punishment her colleagues had taken.

‘It is absolutely obvious that people have come to London with the intention of committing violent disorder, not coming for peaceful protest,’ she said outside Scotland Yard.

Of her fellow-officers, she said: ‘They came to work this morning to facilitate peaceful protest and end up being attacked by missiles, flares and other objects.’

In all, at least nine officers were hurt, with three suffering minor injuries which did not require hospital treatment, while 22 protesters were hurt.

At one point, demonstrators turned on each other, with a teenager pummelled on the ground with sticks.

Police were ordered to take off their high-visibility jackets because they are more flammable than their uniforms and were catching light from lobbed flares.

At least 15 arrests were made – two for assaulting police officers, eight for violent disorder, two for arson, one for criminal damage and one for being drunk and disorderly and one for theft.

In Oxford Circus one of the busiest shopping nights of the year was overtaken by violence as looters smashed their way into Topshop, Niketown, Zara and Benetton.

The National Union of Students cancelled a planned candlelit vigil outside the Commons as the anarchists continued to wreak havoc.

Masked protesters determinedly pulled apart roadwork barriers and metal fences protecting the grass area of Parliament Square and hurled them at police while others ripped off struts and used them as missiles or truncheons.

Yesterday’s violence was the culmination of four weeks of protest which had seen countless scuffles between police and protesters and numerous arrests.

More than 30,000 students and lecturers marched on Westminster as MPs debated plans to triple university fees but it was, as seen at previous demonstrations, a minority of protesters who caused the violence.

They were met by hundreds of police dressed in protective equipment and arranged in lines up to four deep behind reinforced metal fencing.

One group of protesters wore distinctive green hard hats and used foam placards shaped like books to jostle with police and protect themselves.

As scuffles continued to break out, police began using the controversial tactic of ‘kettling’ protesters in Parliament Square.

They set up a cordon along one side of the square to ensure protesters could not leave the planned course of the march.

The Metropolitan Police urged protesters to return to the agreed route and make their way to Victoria Embankment.

Spokesman Mrs Pendry said police did ‘everything in our power’ to allow a peaceful protest and organisers failed to keep a deal to follow an agreed march route.

Despite her statement that students could leave Parliament Square if they wanted to, students said they were still being prevented from going.

‘We have been to every exit and all the police are telling us we cannot leave,’ said one student trying to get away from the area.

‘There are gangs of youths randomly attacking people with sticks but the police are doing nothing about it.’

James Robinson, 20, from Manchester University, said: ‘We’ve been here since 1pm and the police won’t let us out. People were throwing anything they could at police and police were using their batons to fight back.’

Following attacks on the Treasury and the Supreme Court, Colin Barrow, the leader of Westminster City Council, condemned the damage as ‘shaming to the capital and our country’.

 

[Jarnhamar]

The cops should have opened fire with deadly force.  Bet your bobby hat the next protest won't be as violent.

 

[CANADIAN F0RCES]

I think they should protest more until tuition fees are lowered even. I think Canadians should protest our tutuion cost like this. Not in stupid violence but directed to send a clear message. The governments of the world are pushing people to their breaking points. 

I strongly dissagree with the damage to the cenotaph. That's stupid and counter productive.

 

[tomahawk6]

Violent protest accomplishes nothing. The UK is broke and has to make cuts. I could be wrong but students in the UK enjoyed a free education. I think the bigger problem is what happens after the student graduates ? Can he/she find a job or will they just graduate to the dole ?

 

[GAP]

I think they should protest more until tuition fees are lowered even. I think Canadians should protest our tutuion cost like this. Not in stupid violence but directed to send a clear message. The governments of the world are pushing people to their breaking points. 

Why, who entitled you or anyone else to free or cheap education.....?

 

[CANADIAN F0RCES]

Entitle? It should be everyones right to have a cheap education! Period.

 

[George Wallace]

Yet another example of the Black Bloc tactics being used.  I say, anyone showing up at a peaceful demonstration wearing a disguise to hide their identity is not there to be peaceful and should be arrested on the spot. 

 

[George Wallace]

Entitle? It should be everyones right to have a cheap education! Period.

:

Is it my Right to be a Pilot?  Or perhaps it is my Right to be a Doctor?

Did your parents ever say "NO!" to you?

It isn't your Right to be anything.  It isn't your Right to have anything.  It is a Privilege that you earn.  Once you become an adult, you have to earn what you want.  You are no longer under Mommy and Daddy's roof and protection.  They earned the rights for you to get a High School education, and they paid taxes so that you could.  Now that you are an adult, and out of their nurturing environment, you can pay your own way.

 

[57Chevy]

I think they should protest more until tuition fees are lowered even. I think Canadians should protest our tutuion cost like this. 

There have been protests in Quebec about lowering the already low tuition fees.
the average tuition in Quebec is just $2,415 - less than half the Canadian average of $5,138.

The governments of the world are pushing people to their breaking points.

Quebec universities have an accumulated deficit of $483 million.
A portion of tuition fees are paid by taxpayers.......many of which have never attended university....and never
will.

info:

Quebec students protest plan to hike tuition rates
                 

 

[Jarnhamar]

Entitle? It should be everyones right to have a cheap education! Period.

I think I'm coming down with the flu, I better be bettter by monday though-there's people on welfare counting on me.

 

[aesop081]

Entitle? It should be everyones right to have a cheap education! Period.

People also have the right to pay for their education, just like i should have the right not too be financialy burdened with paying for the education of those too lazy to work and pay for it.

 

[HavokFour]

Yet another example of the Black Bloc tactics being used.  I say, anyone showing up at a peaceful demonstration wearing a disguise to hide their identity is not there to be peaceful and should be arrested on the spot.

Ever been to a Scientology protest? In this case however, the behavior is completely unacceptable.

 

[ModlrMike]

I think they should protest more until tuition fees are lowered even. I think Canadians should protest our tutuion cost like this. Not in stupid violence but directed to send a clear message. The governments of the world are pushing people to their breaking points. 

I strongly dissagree with the damage to the cenotaph. That's stupid and counter productive.

Where do you think the money is going to come from for this cheap/free education? I'll tell you where... the working class. I for one am tired of funding everybody's "free" this and "free" that. I put money away for my kid's eduction from the day they were born. If more parents took the long view and invested in their children's education from birth, we wouldn't need "free" education.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Entitle? It should be everyones right to have a cheap education! Period.

Fine, and since it's the taxpayer's money, would you therefore agree that the Government should then limit the number of each degree to that which meets our society's needs? Or should we follow it with the equivalent pay of the jobs they let you qualify for that don't exist when you graduate?

Who, exactly do you think pays for it now?

From 2009: http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/tag/canadian-university-funding/

It costs $15,000 per year to teach you. Your tuition only covers about a quarter of that. Most of what the university spends to hire your professors and pay the utility bills actually comes from taxpayers. That amount of money may seem like a lot, but it’s actually a lot less than the share of funding you would have received 30 years ago. Governments may be investing in building seats in lecture halls – the federal government announced $2 billion more this week – but no one is increasing operating funding to match the growth in enrolment.

Here’s the breakdown of who paid what for university operations in 2007-08:

$3,700 or 24% came from your tuition payment, less the scholarships you get back.

$9,900 or 66% came from the government (mostly from your province).

$1,400 or 10% came from investments and donations, like the bequest from the guy who your library is named after.

Just to be clear: we, the taxpayers, already pay more of your tuition than you do.

 

[Edward Campbell]

I support free or nearly free post secondary education - for those who earn it through academic achievement. I think that all those who score very, very highly in rigorous, standardized tests should get free tuition, books, fees, room and board and so so. Those who get less than near perfect marks should pay something - very little for those who get a B+ average, full price - say $50,000/year - for those who get a C- average. No provisions should be made for financial support for anyone who gets less than a B average on all those rigorous, standardized tests in 2 X maths, 2 X sciences, English (or French), History, Geography and one language.

The rigorous, standardized high school graduation tests should be set and marked by universities - not by provincial departments of education - just as university graduation test standards are, de facto, set by graduate and professional schools and professional associations and colleges.

Maybe we can/should just privatize the whole system - pay the talented (smart) to further their academic educations; make it easy for the majority to enter the work force through colleges, trade schools and apprenticeships.

 

[ballz]

The rigorous, standardized high school graduation tests should be set and marked by universities - not by provincial departments of education - just as university graduation test standards are, de facto, set by graduate and professional schools and professional associations and colleges.

In my experience between province-wide tests in high school vs. the testing I receive in university, Alberta's province-wide testing in gr 9 and in gr 12 were a diamond compared to what I receive in university. They had a very rigorous process, where it was considered to be with prestige to be invited to mark the exams, and they kept track of how you performed as a marker (every test was marked by two people... any descrepancy of even 1 mark on question was reviewed by a third party... and they keep track of how many times this happens to you, and how many times the third party agrees with you or the other person, etc), and weren't afraid to not invite you back.

I agree that people aren't entitled to an education, however, let's go to the extreme here and say the government doesn't fund any education. Zip. Not even kindergarden. Does anybody really think this is a good investment decision?

I think most of us agree that we are setting ourselves and our country up for future hardship by not making a legit effort to ensure most people are literate and have a high school diploma.

Personally, I would take it one step forward and say we would be setting ourselves up for success if we were to invest more money in technology, science, engineering, etc. I think anybody that reaches a certain level of achievement (to prove they are capable of succeeding) in high school, that wishes to pursue an education in certain faculties that we know it would be an advantage for our country to be a leader in that area, should be more than encouraged with a high level of funding.I also like the idea of setting incentive levels.

What I don't like is that it seems most of the people that are always being vocal about free tuition are theatre students, who probably will never pay taxes because they'll be unemployed their whole life. Sorry, but there's no way to justify paying more taxes so you can pursue expressing yourself more artistically. You can do that on your own time, on your own dime, just like I pay money to attend martial arts and play hockey twwo nights a week. I'm not interested in supporting your hobbies because you call it an education.

 

[wannabe SF member]

Entitle? It should be everyones right to have a cheap education! Period.

Ain't no such thing as a free lunch in life nor should there be. My "free" education came with an enlistment in the CF and a 9 year contract.

 

[hold_fast]

What I don't like is that it seems most of the people that are always being vocal about free tuition are theatre students, who probably will never pay taxes because they'll be unemployed their whole life. Sorry, but there's no way to justify paying more taxes so you can pursue expressing yourself more artistically. You can do that on your own time, on your own dime, just like I pay money to attend martial arts and play hockey twwo nights a week. I'm not interested in supporting your hobbies because you call it an education.

Theatre is not a hobby and can be a viable career to those who have it in them to succeed. Same goes for music, visual arts, etc. Schools are generally hold fine arts student to a certain standard, and discard those who can't meet said standard.

Just because someone isn't curing cancer or selling stock sure as **** doesn't mean they're useless to society.


In regards to education, I believe that there is a large group of 'average'-performing students who fall through the gap when it comes to tuition and performance. I don't believe you can solely reward someone on the basis of their grades.

Lastly, the whole education system needs an overhaul. I agree strongly with this guy.

 

[Edward Campbell]

I agree with you (and Robinson) on the creativity issue. It is creativity, not rote memorization, that gave us everything from the domestic pig through Confucius and the industrial revolution to (and beyond) Intel. But even as we make sure that we nurture and reward creativity, as our American friends do quite well, I think, we need to learn from e.g. Hong Kong and Singapore and ensure - not just try, ensure - that all* our children are literate and numerate.

Leaving aside the few who cannot learn, we must ensure that every child has an elementary education that prepares them to live productive, law abiding lives. Secondary and post secondary education needs to be more and more and more specialized to meet the varying needs of society and our children (and grandchildren).

We need accountants, biologists, construction workers, dentists, electricians and so on down to and including theatre people and zoologists - and we need, for the sake of society, to get the right kids into the right programmes based on interests, aptitude and, above all, performance.


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* Obviously, some small percentage of our children cannot manage even that and we must provide for them, too.