Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/10740
Posted on 3 December 2010 at 14:00 GMT
Yorkshire Socialist Students action against cuts
Socialist Students members from around Yorkshire built for and participated in the 2nd National Day of Action against cuts and fees on the 30th Nov, despite the appalling weather conditions.
In Hull, Halifax and Huddersfield, Socialist Students activists were at the forefront of building for walkouts of college students, with 18 attending a Youth Fight for Education meeting in Huddersfield after a demonstration.
In York, around 400 from York Uni, York College and several schools attended an end-of-day rally in the city centre whilst in Sheffield around 300 marched from Sheffield University to Nick Clegg's constituency office and then returned to once again occupy a university building (messages of support can be sent to occupation.sheffield@gmail.com)
In Leeds Socialist Students members have alongside others been occupying the Michael Sadler building at Leeds University.
Around 500 marched from Parkinson Steps down into Leeds, where protesters where shamefully kettled by the police, before marching back to rejoin the occupation.
Leeds Trinity Students Against Cuts launch
Despite the almost total shutdown of transport around the campus during the day, 50 students and lecturers from Leeds Trinity University College turned up to launch Leeds Trinity Students Against Cuts (LTSAC) on Wednesday 25th November.
The president of the campaign, Lewis Webster, introduced the meeting by highlighting the attacks that the Con-Dem coalition government is lining up.
At Leeds Trinity the combination of fee rises and funding cuts could see the university ceasing to exist as it has no core courses that the government will continue to fund.
The second speaker was Iain Dalton, Yorkshire Socialist Students organiser who gave the event a flavour of some of the action that had taken place over the last two weeks around the country and the rest of Yorkshire, before explaining what had been taking place during the occupation at Leeds University.
Ian outlined a fighting programme around mobilising for the day that parliament is due to vote on tuition fees and linking up with trade unions locally.
Andy Smith and Rozh Ahmad from campaign outlined how the campaign had been making links with the trade unions in the college to fight against cuts locally, and the fear that the students' revolt was putting into the government, illustrated by the heavy policing tactics seen in London but also in Leeds the previous day.
The floor was then opened to a general discussion which took up questions such as the media representation of the students' revolt, and discussion of what a socialist alternative to the cuts package would be, before agreeing a set of campaign demands based around those adopted by the Leeds University occupation and to have regular campaign meetings.
(Halifax media coverage - http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/Students-take-to-the-streets.6646042.jp)
(see media coverage - http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8711396. Students_rally_in_York_against_fees_hike/?ref=mr),
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