OVER 200 students from London universities and supporters from other universities demonstrating yesterday against police violence, were themselves confronted by Police.
They marched from ULU Malet Street to Russell Square and were confronted by half a dozen riot vans. The police confronted the protesters and marched them back to the university’s campus.
News Line spoke to some of the students before the march set off.
Mark Thompson, a second-year student from UCL, said: ‘We are protesting against police violence on our campus.
‘This protest had been planned for a number of weeks.
‘It has been reinvigorated by the attack on students last night.
‘Police beat students up who were occupying, and arrested people.
‘It was violent and intimidating.
‘It is a sad state of affairs when our own university calls the police in on students.’
Frank Magennis from LSE said: ‘This demonstration was a protest to kick cops off campus.
‘UCU president Michael Chaccun was arrested on Wednesday night. It’s obvious a stifling of dissent is happening.
‘We don’t want a US-style system where protests are broken up by police.
‘The authorities want to close down ULU and are using police to stifle opposition to the closing down of ULU.’
Jane Lewis of LSE said: ‘I’ve come to support ULU students and show solidarity from the LSE.’
Students who went through the campus carried on towards Gower Street and were chased after by riot police.
Goldsmith’s student John Freeman commented: ‘The police presence is a threat to the political autonomy of the institution – that autonomy is an issue that is seen as a threat to bourgeois society, that’s why you see such a number of police here.
‘The trade unions should support the students and take action against the police.’
