Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

SchNEWS: School of Hard Knocks

SchNEWS 712 | 04.03.2010 20:30 | Education | Social Struggles | South Coast | World

Students at Sussex University came into violent conflict with riot cops on Wednesday (3rd) as they occupied the executive nerve centre of their university. Several weeks in the planning by Stop the Cuts campaign, around 80 students rushed the 'fortified' Sussex House building with a supporting demo outside of around 300 people, all in protest against the proposed cuts to university funding. The occupation was part of a national day of action, called against £950m of government cuts to higher education announced on February 1st. There were also actions in Norwich, Leeds and London.

Links: Indymedia Coverage:1 |2 |3 | 4
Videos of the protests | Stop the Cuts – Defend Sussex




The day started at 12pm with an anti-cuts carnival in the main square of the campus, with demonstrators togged up in animal masks – a nod to the last occupation of Sussex House after which senior management branded students as behaving like 'animals' (an occupation which also lead to Sussex house being made 'occupation proof' with a multitude of complex security systems). Students then rushed the building, managing to occupy the floor that had all of the Vice Chancellor Executive Group offices.

Cops arrived on the scene within 15 minutes, complete with dogs, riot gear and an Evidence Gathering unit. Cue a mad rush of bodies, and police ended up being kept at bay with critical mass. In the words of one participant, “F*cking hell – it's all batons and dogs here”.

Inside, most staff left of their own accord, although the Head of Security, Roger Morgan (named by our source as a “complete c**t”) and another uni bigwig locked themselves in an office and refused to leave without a police escort as they were 'too intimidated' to leave (as opposed to administrators and secretaries who seemed fully able to muster the courage to walk down a flight of stairs).

While this was going on protesters managed to find some very juicy documents including some dodgy expense records (like a £75 dinner and holiday flight for an execs' wives and an £1800 hotel bill), and a letter from Peter Mandelson to the Vice Chancellor about the rise of 'domestic extremism' in the university. Copies have been taken and should be released into the public domain soon.

Halfway through the occupation activists attempted to rush the building and break through the lines of police – an action that resulted in batons being pulled out and things turning nasty – two arrests were made on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and both are still custody.

After the failed rush, a vote was held inside the building about whether the occupiers should continue or leave voluntarily, resulting in a majority ballot to go whilst still having the upper hand. The SWP opened the doors and the students left.

The demo was held in solidarity with ATL (Teachers' and Lecturers' Union) that had voted in favour of strike action the same day. One source called the action he had seen “the most effective bit of direct action seen on campus”.

Current plans by University senior management include massive job losses and entire areas are facing the axe, despite committing themselves to spending £112 million on new buildings (not to mention pay hikes for the senior management). The university found itself with a £3 million shortfall, which it is trying to rectify by wildly slashing any area of the university that doesn't fit with its 'New Strategic Vision.'

Respected academics are facing forced redundancy, successful degree courses are due to be arbitrarily cancelled if management gets its way. The history department is being 'made more popular' as the process has been euphemistically described by management blurb. This means cutting all European/world history before 1900, and all British history pre-1700, with several redundancies. The children's crèche, which had been recently rated in an Ofsted inspection as 'outstanding' and currently serves the needs of 62 kids. The university reckons it can save £5million with this act of kiddie (service) snatching. Meanwhile degrees in Human Sciences are set to go, and modern languages, engineering, and linguistics are all under threat. Nearly half the informatics dept is set to go, with 14 redundancies in the pipeline. The sexual health centre UNISEX set to go too.

The university, which went on an unsustainable, reckless spending binge during the boom times when rich foreign students were flocking to Blighty to study and government subsidies to higher education seemed unending, has found itself shackled with PFI deals. Rather than respond rationally, it appears that the management has just taken a look at any course that has been perceived to be less profitable and taken the knife to them. It's worth noting that neighbouring Brighton University (hardly a hotbed of firebrand radicalism) which has traditionally underspent and not been quite so keen on the latest corporate faddishness, isn't planning any job losses or major cuts.

*As well as action in Sussex, students from the University of Westminster stormed the boardroom of their uni on Monday (1st) and confronted their Vice Chancellor, Geoffrey Pett, about the proposed 10% cuts in jobs. After receiving unsatisfactory answers, they occupied the Vice Chancellor's office to protest against the increasing fees and hefty management salaries, while teaching time decreases and class size grows by the term.

*See Indymedia London for more info on the Westminster occupation

*To show solidarity with the teachers and lecturers currently facing hefty job cuts, join the March for Jobs this Saturday (6th) in Brighton. Meet at The Level at 12pm.

Also in SchNEWS 712: HONDURAS: FNR-IP Prominent member of the National Popular Resistance Front shot dead in her home in Honduras | HEADLESS MORSE-MAN Hunt monitor Bryan Griffiths facing manslaughter | UKB'ASTARDS Mass protest against the UK Border Agency in Cardiff | EDO: SITTING ON DEFENCE Judge allows war crimes defence in EDO Decommissioners' trial | CALAIS: A SAFE HARBOUR? Calais migrant solidarity soldiers on | MIGRANT STRIKES Foreign workers unite in solidarity strikes | A DIFFERENT BAIL GAME H&K blockaders get harsh bail conditions | AND FINALLY... Tune in, sit down, drop out

SchNEWS 712

Additions

Another occupation!

12.03.2010 01:31

Around 300 students have occupied a lecture theatre at Sussex University in a show of defiance against university management. It is the third time this year that the university has been occupied by students in protest at planned cuts.

The occupation started after a demonstration demanding that six students suspended for taking part in a peaceful sit-in last Wednesday be immediately reinstated. It comes in spite of a High Court injunction taken out by the university in a bid to stop sit-in protests.

University management have responded by posting a statement on their website saying that the suspended students would be allowed to resume their studies — an announcement that was met with a loud cheer inside the occupation. But according to the statement the students would still be barred from taking part in “activities on campus that are unconnected with their studies”.

Students in the occupation are currently discussing their response to University management. It is understood that the students have arranged for a lecture due to start at 4pm to be relocated to another vacant lecture theatre on campus.

Students are posting updates from the occupation using the #savesussex tag on Twitter.

--------------------
THE ‘STOP THE CUTS’ DEMANDS FOR THE VCEG OF SUSSEX UNIVERSITY

We, the students of the Stop the Cuts campaign, have assembled in Arts A2, in response to the actions of the management, specifically the arbitrary suspension and exclusion of 6 students by the Vice Chancellor last week. These students were not violent, and the demonstration in no way merited the presence of riot police on campus. There has been a widespread response from both outside and inside the university condemning this action as disproportionate. These students are part of a wider campaign involving hundreds of students and workers, which continues to be against the compulsory redundancies of staff at Sussex, and to defend public services nationally.

In order to leave here today, our demands are:
1. The unconditional reinstatement of the six students who were suspended and excluded last week – the terms outlined in the statement on Sussex Direct today were not good enough.
2. No disciplinary action against anyone in the room.
3. No punishment of non-violent dissent, no criminalisation of any form of non-violent protest, demonstrations or occupations.

Signed,

The students of the Stop the Cuts campaign

-------------------------------
Occupation Update

At 14:30 today 300 students and staff occupied the Lecture theatre Arts A2 in defiance of the high court injunction placed upon all persons entering or remaining on Sussex Campus and involved in the vaguely defined act of ‘occupational protest’.

The occupation is in protest against the suspension and exclusion of six students involved in the previous occupation of Sussex House calling for their unconditional reinstatement. We, the occupiers, stand in solidarity with all staff and workers facing compulsory redundancy, and all other areas on campus affected by the devestating cuts implemented by management.

We, the occupiers, have unanimously decided to remain until our demands are met. Until they are met this space will be open to all students and workers. We will use it for educational lectures, talks, critical debates, film screenings and to create an environment where the university community can come together to educate one another in an environment determined by us and for us.

We call upon students, workers and the wider community, locally, nationally, globally, to join us in the fight against educational cuts, job losses and the cuts in the public and private sectors. Strike! Occupy! Resist!

The room is being occupied overnight, with activities planned throughout the day tomorrow.
 http://defendsussex.wordpress.com/

stop the cuts!


Comments

Hide the following comment

Sussex Students- Suspended, Excluded, Injuncted

09.03.2010 15:29

Petition against student suspensions



Following last Wednesday's occupation of Sussex House (Sussex University's senior management HQ) 6 students have been arbitrarily suspended and excluded.

Additionally, the university has been granted a High Court injunction banning people from “entering” or “remaining” on campus without the university’s prior written consent.

At least five Sussex University students have been indefinitely suspended following the peaceful occupation of Sussex House, the main university administration building, on Wednesday 3rd March.

The Vice-Chancellor has overruled the normal disciplinary procedure and suspended the students before presenting them with any evidence of their alleged offences or giving them any opportunity to make their case. The students have been barred from entering campus and their access to computer facilities withdrawn.

This follows the heavy-handed response to the protest by police, who beat back students using dogs, batons and CS spray at the behest of University management

These are completely disproportionate attempts to silence peaceful protest on campus.

The University of Sussex students – dubbed “The Sussex Six” – could now face expulsion after more than 50 protesters stormed Sussex House, at the Falmer campus, on Wednesday.

But the university’s “hardline” response to the demonstration against plans to cut 115 jobs has been slammed by critics who warned it would only inflame the situation.

The university was granted a High Court injunction banning people from “entering” or “remaining” on campus without the university’s prior written consent.

Petition against suspensions:  http://defendsussex.wordpress.com/

unisux
- Homepage: http://defendsussex.wordpress.com


Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech