Headlines
November Walk Out
November Walk Out
30th November 2010
While the student protest in London and its aftermath dominated newspaper headlines, talk of a second action was circulating the internet. Sites like anticuts.com were advising students in the methods of effective action and Facebook groups were springing up around a common intent: “WE WILL MARCH”, as the posters proclaimed. One such Facebook group invited students from the Hereford colleges to walk out of their lessons at 11am on Wednesday 24th November. Like many institutions, Hereford Sixth Form College issued a formal notice that the event was not condoned by them. By the morning of the 24th, everyone was aware of the event, while tensions simmered under the veneer of routine. Everyone seemed aware that the message would be shouted on the streets, and could be left until then.
Eleven o’clock passed over an empty plaza. The first few activists gathered in a corner with covered placards, and waited. After a tense interval of silence, a column of students spontaneously condensed out of the scattered crowd in the Sixth Form quadrangle, and descended on the plaza. Immediately, the flow was fed by students from all directions. At its centre, the pioneer of the Facebook group, Sam Watson, took to the highest block of the plaza wall as a make-shift podium. Before leading the baying crowd on their route, ringleader Sam had this to say, “we want to make a statement the government can’t ignore.”
Even before leaving college grounds, a police presence became noticeable, and the scale of the demonstration became more obvious when the march on town began. In a tactical move to cause trouble and gain attention, the march surged into the road, easily bringing traffic to a halt. This continued down Aylestone Hill, down Commercial Road, and into town, making it impossible to ignore. Local resident, Charlotte Lake, said she was, “proud of all of them”, on seeing the protesters pass by. Once in town, the protesters collaborated with people protesting the benefits cuts. When asked about the message they would like to deliver, Sam Watson merely expressed the wish to tell Cameron that he is “disgusted” by him, while accusing Clegg of turning traitor.
In the chaos of direct action, there is often little room for reasonable debate, but a quick poll of the participants throws up some interesting disparities. Seven out of ten were first year students, so would be directly affected by the changes. Also, in a case of bitter irony, a large number of the people there were sacrificing their EMA to attend. In fact, half of the people polled were in this position. Small wonder, then, that there was such an energy surrounding the day. Perhaps more interesting is the finding that considerably more people were protesting the rise in tuition fees over the cuts in EMA. This may not be surprising to some, as it has been the tuition fee rise that has been receiving most of the media attention. However, when the main criticism of the tuition fee rise has been that it favours the rich and will make university elitist, it seems odd that a blow to the poorest teenagers is being ignored. If universities should be accessible to all regardless of class and money, why should this not be the case for colleges? True, many of the criticisms of the EMA system are fair: The poll previously mentioned found that half of the sample received EMA. Without claiming any sort of economic understanding, it seems unlikely that such a large proportion of people really need this, particularly in Herefordshire. Given the number of people that qualify for EMA but don’t need it, the system does appear to be flawed. However, without the government releasing an exact proposal for the new system, it is necessary to fear the worst. The system intends to target more effectively, but this may just equate to less money for fewer people. More to the point, the unofficial poll carried out on the day of the walk out supported the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ claim that 10% extra students stay on due to EMA. Of ten people polled, one suspected that he, “wouldn’t be able to afford the transport,” to complete a second year without EMA. It may be symptomatic of living in leafy Tory country, but people, when asked, seemed more aware of the undeserving recipients than the ones it genuinely helps. 70% of people polled on the march said they were there mainly on the issue of student fees. “EMA, I believe, maybe should be changed, because some people don’t need it, but most do”, one protester summarised.
This kind of balanced statement was typical of the day. A recurring theme from onlookers and participants was the organisation and orderliness displayed. “It’s a great idea, and it’s nice to see people behaving themselves,” said art student, Adel. This attitude was echoed by Student Representative Council Member, Sean Jolly, who said: “It goes to show that teenagers are better behaved than people say.” However, much of the talk after the march was occupied by the story of the person being arrested for attempting to enter and occupy Hereford Town Hall. Very little is known about this and it is unclear whether he was affiliated with any of the actions on that day. Meanwhile, several of the protesters questioned, who shall remain nameless, condoned the violence in London, while others, such as Rob Willis, do not. Ed McDonall, Sixth Form student, said that, “the violence does not help the situation, but action is needed.”
After the fury was all spent, the gathering dispersed, leaving just placards, posters and police. Soon after, the latter of these removed the two former items. Before disappearing to a police backroom, these remnants of the march reflected the constructive and benevolent atmosphere that had been created. A poster on scaffolding read “This would not happen at Hogwarts!” Meanwhile, a protester proudly carried back a sign reading “education avalible for everyone”, perhaps with deliberate irony; perhaps just hastily written. While students in London were continuing their ongoing campaign against sheet glass and police vehicles, students in Hereford had compiled a petition to persuade local MPs to support their cause. Local shopkeeper Richard Fisher said he was impressed at how well behaved the marchers appeared, before going on to advocate the use of “people power”. Like some, he is optimistic for a compromise, and doesn’t expect the necessity of “riots or strikes like the French”. On a practical note, he has noticed a trend of losing business as young people have had decreasing amounts of disposable income, and expects this to continue with the rise in tuition fees coupled with the loss of EMA. However, on a personal level, he also agreed that it would be abhorrent for universities to become “elitist”. Sam Watson summarised proceedings with a comment early on, “I’m pleased with the turnout today, but I’m still very angry at the government”. This continued to ring true as the event became a boiling pot of good will and good behaviour with discontent and injustice, which was part of a nation-wide statement that could not be ignored.
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