London protest ‘inspired by Europe fightback’
Socialist Students organiser Mihaela Ivanova spoke at the London protest outside Parliament, the day before Labour’s Budget.
In an ITV interview, Andy Burnham stated his Budget will not stray from the red lines of Labour’s 2024 manifesto. In other words, a promise to continue brutal austerity, a grinding cost-of-living crisis, and defending the skyrocketing profits of the bosses.
While politicians of every rosette are beating the drums of war, young people across Europe have poured out onto the streets in their thousands to fight back. We are inspired. Not just by them.
But by the French teachers’ unions, who have stood shoulder to shoulder with their students against the attacks on education by the Macron government. The same attacks to education that Burnham’s government, and previous governments here in the UK, have forced onto young people.
That’s why Socialist Students is building for the International Youth Strike on 20 November to join the hundreds of thousands of students across Europe to fight for our futures not their wars! Students in over 50 schools, colleges, and universities in the UK will be walking out of their classrooms.
We are emboldened by the NEU (National Education Union), which has passed a motion to join and provide safe stewarding. And the UCU (University and College Union), which has called a day of action.
The peaceful protests in France have shown us that when students and workers are united, we cannot be defeated. So we invite you all to join us on 20 November to fight for the funding we need, and fight back against the austerity, war, and racist division of this government.
York uni protest projects our voice
Arthur Herbert, York Uni Socialist Students
Our Budget Day protest was an opportunity for us to voice our opposition to rising militarisation, austerity, and the cost-of-living crisis. We succeeded in projecting our voices, connecting with more students at the uni.
As many York Socialist Students members are new this year, including myself, we have never organised a protest before. So this provided an opportunity to do that.
York Socialist Students has grown from three members last year to 15 this year, so far. We’ve quickly learned the need for strategy, defined roles in mobilising our forces, and preparing chants beforehand.
Our protest was an essential trial run for the International Youth Walkout on 20 November, which will see thousands of students and young people across the world strike out against the capitalist order, its wars, and its failure to provide for our futures.
