Southampton students blockade university
This report (made at 4.30pm 15/05/08 ) is taken from the Socialist Students website.
100 Southampton University students have marched through campus and are blockading a university court meeting.
The university has taken the decision to remove the Union President vote from the Vice Chancellor appointment panel.
Today the university court is meeting – the highest decision making body in the university with VC chancellors from other universities, local politicians and councillors and representatives from the University’s investors including BAE systems and HSBC, in attendance.
The action started with a march across campus towards the meeting. Students have obstructed the meeting by holding a silent sit in which is blocking building entrances they are wearing gags saying “student’s voice silenced”.
Clare Blackwell from Southampton Socialist Students says “the occupation a few weeks ago at Manchester has boosted morale about what is possible if decisive action is taken. We are taking similar action today. We are asking why is it that fat cat multinationals like BAE systems, and HSBC, the bank that makes record profits from ripping off students, are allowed a voice in how the university is run but student representatives are not?
It is clear that the right wing management and their big business friends want to get away with cuts and privatisation in the university and are trying to remove the students union as a potential obstacle.”
Southampton Socialist Students has a record of fighting fees, cuts and privatisation and standing up for students in Southampton. We organised a protest in February at the constituency office of John Denham the Universities and Skills minister on that drew students from across the south coast. Socialist Students is raising the need to mobilise students to defend the student’s union voice but also to raise the need for the students union to build a fight back linking up with campus trade unions and students unions across the country in a mass campaign against fees, cuts and privatisation.
This protest was not orgonised by southampton socialist students, they played a role. It was not even a “left” protest but was a broad-church which united students from all political backgrounds.
thanks for your comment “southampton student.”
Could you tell us more about this protest?
I am a member of Socialist Students at Southampton University. While there were members of Socialist Students on the protest, it was organised by the Students’ Union.
Despite having, according to the Students’ Union President, the support of more than half the members of University Court, the Chancellor decided not to take a vote on the issue, and decreed that the decision would stand.
There were around 120 students on the protest in total.
cheers Jonathan. Do you have any plans of how to follow this up?