Mariam Kamish, Rhondda Cynon Taf Socialist Party
Our banner at the University of South Wales (USW) read: ‘Fight for our future – not for their wars’. Our placards had ‘Solidarity with striking French students’, superimposed on a photo of young people clambering all over the monument in the Place de la Republique in Paris (above right).
But the response we were getting was a little slow. Then, my phone beeped with a message.
“French students have just won some concessions”, I told the next student I stopped. “Only a start, but – if you fight, you can win.”
Her eyes came alive. “That’s true”, reaching for our sign-up sheet.
This year at freshers, 173 students signed up for Socialist Students at USW. Many have already come to Socialist Students and Socialist Party meetings.
Bubbling away under the surface, people are angry, stressed, and anxious about their futures. The protests in Europe point a way to make their voices heard.
We need to make sure students know how they can start to take part in that movement. At USW Trefforest, we’ve called a lunchtime rally on 20 November (see page 4). We’re also inviting lecturers and other trade unionists to come and support us.
