Laurie Penny

Pop culture and radical politics with a feminist twist

The student movement evolves

I have never felt prouder of my generation.

By Laurie Penny Published 01 December 2010 18:44

In Trafalgar Square, the worst November snowstorms in decades are pummelling thousands of teenage protesters more effectively than any police kettle. The cops are there anyway, of course, clotting every exit from the square like rotten yellow scabs, sealing off the social dissidence from the more compliant tissue of the body politic. Right now Her Majesty's Finest are being reasonable, but earlier in the day, when these young protestors abandoned the planned route for their march after a tip-off that police planned to detain them again in the freezing sleet, it was a different matter altogether.

Videos are already emerging of police officers repeatedly punching children in the face, as one girl describes how her friend narrowly escaped death. "Some people had already gone through the kettlle, and Sarah screamed for people to come through. A policeman shoved her in the chest, and she fell into the road in front of a truck, which stopped about two feet away from her." Other witnesses later confirm this account.

I am leaning on a set of railings because my feet, frozen through from a seven-mile spontaneous rampage round central London, will no longer support me. Kids are still piling into the square from all directions, exhausted but undefeated, having walked out of school and university occupations across the city and come to join the shakedown. Now they are gathering in one corner of the square, screaming and hugging each other despite the howling wind. In the gusts of snow and debris, over the drone of police helicopters, the indefatigable samba band begins to play and a ragged cheer goes up. Britain's children's crusade has not been cowed by police brutality: they are dancing in the snow. Some of them quite obscenely.

The march from which they are returning has been a wild, rampant charge, two thousand protesters careering up Piccadilly, past the Ritz and the Trocadero, letting off smokebombs and chanting "no ifs, no buts, no education cuts!" under the corporate-sponsored Christmas lights of Oxford Street. To the bewildered tourists and salarymen snapping pictures from shopfronts this probably looks like chaos - but the chaos is terribly organised.

"I have no idea where we're going," says Melissa, 22. "Nobody does, and that's why it works." "If we don't know where we're going the police don't either," says her friend, "and that means they can't kettle us or catch us. It's perfect."

"These strategies for avoiding police brutality have been around since 2001," says the writer Shiv Malik, who is also at the protest, "but nobody actually sat down and thought about how to put them into action before. This is very clever - these kids learn fast," he pants as he tries to keep up with the mach. "Well, they are students, I suppose."

Before long, it's a cat-and-mouse game as police try to head off the march at various street exits; the young protesters simply veer off in the other direction, laughing and jeering. Sirens scream in the distance, but the police can't keep up with the pace of the march. It could be a Benny Hill sketch if it weren't for the bitter cold and the police meat wagons gathering on street corners.

As we go past Topshop, the students begin to shout about Topshop owner Sir Philip Green, one of many billionaires to benefit from this administration's generosity towards big business. "Philip Green - tax avoider!" they yell. Avoider, not evader. With a start, I realise that these young people have taken time out from smashing windows to share information on how to avoid being sued for libel.

Britain's new youth movement has evolved. The white-hot energy that exploded at Millbank three weeks ago has cooled into a hard-edged organising tool, making links with Trade Unions and anti-cuts groups up and down the country. What started as a riot has become a movement. At UCL, one of the movement's strategic hubs, serious-faced teenagers take detailed notes and man the phones to liaise with the media whilst others are already at their laptops, getting the word out via Twitter and Facebook about what's happening on the streets. These young people have been underestimated - by their parents, by their teachers and lecturers, and by successive neoliberal administrations -and that underestimation may yet shake this government to its core.

Evenings in the occupied lecture halls across the country are a jumble of joyful anti-establishment clichés, all twee improvised sing-songery and communal cooking and belting out the Internationale whilst someone presses more beer into your hands - but these are not the hedonists of 1968, and there is a strict divide between business and pleasure. There's a cleaning rota, booze is rationed to prevent rowdiness, and nobody is allowed to drink whilst decision-making meetings are taking place.

The interminable meetings are based on a complicated consensus system involving wiggly hand-signals. At times it all descends into Pythonesque farce as the students discuss the exact legal status of chalking messages on the pavements - but there's a point to it all. "The process is meant to prevent leaders emerging," one student informs me. "It's important to make sure everyone's voice is equally heard."

These young people are sick of leaders, even leaders our own age. They won't be told what to do, but that sentiment is more of a honed manifesto than a collective teenage door-slamming strop. When the meeting is over and consensus reached, the collective slams back into action, planning an escalation in the protests leading up to the crucial vote on tuition fees later this month.

These protesters have a honed protestant work ethic, a coherent ideological framework, stunning technological facility and absolutely nothing to lose. No wonder the administration is getting worried. The students at UCL are now desperately mustering plans to defend their organising space, which may soon be forcibly evicted by police who are no longer quite the friendly bobbies from children's telly. In fact, the police seem more determined to punish these protesters extra-judicially for their defiance the clearer it becomes how little actual crime they are committing.

As night falls on the makeshift rally in Trafalgar square and I begin to feel faint from the chill, someone directs me past the stamping crowd on Nelson's column to the tea-stand. The students from SOAS have brought hot tea and homemade cookies and are selling them for pennies as a "gesture of solidarity." "It's a new world order!" says a girl behind me in the queue.

Sitting on a fountain in Trafalgar square, slurping a nice hot cup of tea in the freezing rain and snow, watching the children's crusade brave the elements and police lines to chant for the downfall of a government it sees as corrupt and illegitimate, I have never felt prouder of my generation.

Tags: Student protests

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71 comments

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Sat, 2010-12-04 02:18 — Ona

The kids are not defining themselves by class. Some had never heard of EMA but the EMA students are out there combining forces telling their stories. Some are even coming from private schools. The only point is are you for privilege or against it.

Fri, 2010-12-03 00:13 — Lucy (not verified)

I just wanted to say, I'm really impressed. These protests are vastly more organised and enthusiastic than the ones my generation had when fees and loans were first introduced. Hopefully they'll actually work.

Thu, 2010-12-02 13:48 — foreigner (not verified)

What a writer you are, Laurie! Sincere and talented. You got my eyes watered as well - and I'm 59 years of age, sitting comfortably in my office and only vaguely remember my time at the university in the 70's! You must never stop your excellent work, Laurie! My money is on you, every Penny!

Sat, 2010-12-04 12:37 — Alan (not verified)

@ NIck

Indeed. Your sympsthies appear to be to the left of centre whilst mine are to the right of centre.

Substsitute economic competence for social responsibility in your argument and it sums up the performance of the Labour party pretty well.

Incidentally I think that there has been very little investment in public services but there has been a great deal of spending.

Finally, yes it is the current generation of student activists from which the next geration of politicians will emerge and if they can define a new politics then great, it can't be any worse than the current lot.

Wed, 2010-12-01 19:10 — Pims50 (not verified)

Me too! I am so proud of their energy, spirit and enthusiasm for justice... and I remember marching in '68!

Wed, 2010-12-01 19:12 — John Richardson (not verified)

Early youtube footage of the Benny Hill police chase
http://youtu.be/O0jKvgS7olo

I applaud all students taking part in these protests, especially those occupying their campuses. There are millions of others that support you; keep up the fight!

Thu, 2010-12-02 15:20 — David Vinter (not verified)

Wobblie, you talk a lot of sense, even though I may not agree with some of it, being schooled through WW2, I know about poverty, but was fortunate to be brought up in a very physically hard working environment.
One grandfather a farm labourer, the other a docker, both left school aged 10, but could read and write ok.
My father was the powerhouse in our family, just missing WW1 by 10 days, he, on leaving school worked as a garage apprentice, but at 19 became self employed, and worked 7 days a week,through the 20s and 30s, was sensible enough to not get married till he was 33. Even on a sunday evening, after tea, he would clear the kitchen table and have a car cylinder head to work on. A non smoker, non drinker, he had a simple view that if everyone worked as hard as he did, there would be no crime.
During WW2 was the only time he worked for anyone else, being employed as a plant manager, building airfields. He never had more than 2 days holiday until he was 70.Class he did not recognise.
Anyway good luck to you.

Wed, 2010-12-01 19:37 — Nic

This reckless government has unwittingly radicalised a whole generation of young people.

The out of touch millionaires in the cabinet are now realising that we are not "all in this together".

Keep on doing what you're doing students.

Wed, 2010-12-01 19:40 — ang (not verified)

John Richardson: Thankyou for the link, my eyes watered with with laughter.
One of my observations was that once the giggling students started to run in all directions, the police found it difficult to keep up the pace, due to fatness or too many winter layers, absolutely hilarious that they didn't see this coming.
I too am extremely proud of these young people, they are an inspiration.

Wed, 2010-12-01 19:43 — Simon Burrows (not verified)

I joined up with one of the fractured marches for a far-too-short 10 minutes or so around St Pauls on my lunchbreak yesterday. You couldn't have hoped for a more responsible, enthusiastic and knowledgable turnout.

These boys and girls are doing an entire generation proud. It almost brought a tear to my eye to see them shivering for their own futures.

NO VOTE, NO COAT, NO CUTS!

Wed, 2010-12-01 20:29 — latentexistence

Thank you for your excellent reporting, and your twitter updates too.

And thank you to all those out on the protests. Don't give up, you have the power to make a difference.

Wed, 2010-12-01 20:51 — anchoredwunderlust (not verified)

where i was marching became a bit swppy/revolution led, but you knw, they were actually using communication to figure out where to go so it just happened. it was an organised rabble =)

Sun, 2010-12-05 11:03 — Brisgirl (not verified)

I started my demonstrating career at the protest against the vietnam war in 1968 and was among the 2 millionprotestin g the war in Iraq. Now I am 65. I have been on two of these demos. Reading Lauries pieces and watching the video has made me weep. Older people have declined into cynicism and apathy and powerlessness. My (younger) partner has been unemployed from the finance sector for a year now and I have seen how it has damaged his soul. This is a fight of all people against the Rich and their bootlickers and I urge all who are concerned with justice and poverty to join it.

I salute the young people around the country for their passion and guts. Those bloggers who think they are indulge g their love of criminal action should join the marches and talk to the young people.

Power to the students

Wed, 2010-12-01 21:09 — Tim Dawes (not verified)

At the risk of sounding old (which I am) - not since John Pilger's reports in the Mirror from Vietnam. just before and during the fall of Saigon, have I looked forward with such eagerness to the next instalment of a reportage series. Wonderful stuff and very important. Keep it up, Laurie.

Wed, 2010-12-01 21:14 — Katie (not verified)

So many people in this country no they should be in London with them but are too apathetic and jaded. They are absolutely right. What the Lib dems have done is unacceptable. Keep it going!

Wed, 2010-12-01 21:15 — Jay (not verified)

Thank you to occupiers and protesters. More people than you know support you!

Wed, 2010-12-01 22:04 — @gregalomaniac (not verified)

Hear hear!! @Tim Dawes
Thank you Laurie
And well done to all the students making a stand, you're doing us proud!

Wed, 2010-12-01 22:39 — Des Demona (not verified)

The only section of society truly idealistic enough to change it for the better have always been the young. Keep getting out there, don't listen to the cynics who will no doubt be on these boards in force. This country and this economy is in danger of being destroyed by selfishness and self interest. The students have my unqualified support. Let's hope they create a groundswell.

Wed, 2010-12-01 22:44 — Sciamachy

There've been tactics for protesting & avoiding the cops' measures since before I was born, Laurie. Read up on the Yippies & the Vietnam War protests. There's very little new under the sun - but kudos to you all for getting off your butts & doing what needs to be done! Proud of you all.

Thu, 2010-12-02 17:05 — Alan (not verified)

What is the problem ?
Get a degree, get a job and pay off the debt when you earn enough to afford it. If you can't then the debt is written off. Given the debt levels left by the last government for future generations I would have thought an extra few grand for tuition fees would pale into insignificance.

Thu, 2010-12-02 00:08 — Wobblie (not verified)

I am so proud of the revolting students! At last some people who are prepared to stand up and be counted.

I can remember when I was a student and it was considered stupid and radical to support the miners. But, whilst dear old Arthur is probably an egotistical nutter, what he said was true and correct.

Now we have millionaire politicians who benefited from free higher education in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, making sure that the kids of today cannot follow in their footsteps.

This is only a meritocracy if you can afford it! And who can afford a degree at £50K, in fact, what degree is actually worth £50K!?

I always thought the point of education was the educated person, not now though. The point is to earn more and therefore most arts, humanities and social sciences are sadly not worth the price tag! I heard a senior chap from The LSE saying that most of their degrees wouldn’t attract Government funding because they all fall in these aforementioned categories.

Shame on the ConDemNation!!!

Clegg sucks! And swallows!

Thumbs up to the revolting students!!!!

Thu, 2010-12-02 00:13 — Sciamachy

Buckskins,
I did my tour of duty protesting against the Tories last time around. I protested against the introduction of student loans, against the Criminal Justice Act, against the M3 extension at Twyford Down, against the Kidderminster-Blakedown-Hagley bypass, in solidarity with my French colleagues at the Lycée Jules Viette when they took to the streets in the snow protesting against Chirac cutting their pensions, against the first Gulf War, and against the Iraq war. Currently I have a wife & 2 kids relying on me holding down my job, which I'm currently off sick from with an infection that keeps me housebound for the duration of this illness. I think I've probably done my fair share. How about you?

Thu, 2010-12-02 00:16 — stuart (not verified)

the trouble is buckskins with this student movement in the uk that has sprung up over these tuition fees is that they dont really get much support from ordinary working class people where i live because they just come across as a bunch of ragbag middle class marxists,communists and socalist workers party types who just like a bit of a ruck with the police waving about there red flags with pictures of the mass murderers stalin and chairman mao on them,thats where the problem lies i see,,dont get me wrong i am gratefull to the students who have bought my big issue on these demos but the truth of the matter is they are just posh spoilt little mommys boys and girls who have never lived in the real world and suffered poverty and hardship

Thu, 2010-12-02 00:43 — ElaineS (not verified)

Scottish students come out in support of other UK students and make good use of snowballs
http://www.guardian.co.uk/edinburgh/2010/nov/30/edinburgh-students-snowb...

Thu, 2010-12-02 00:43 — GBC (not verified)

Great article and a great day. Amazing to see how far everyone has come in such a short space of time. Loved seeing the 'DONT TALK TO FEDS' banner with advice on protecting identity. The solidarity out there was amazing. We were taking calls from witnesses of arrests and police abuse of power and until the mass arrests we had received calls about every single arrest in London. Nice work everyone, keep it up. Stay strong.

Fri, 2010-12-03 14:01 — M M (not verified)

You're just an idiot. Pure and simple.

Thu, 2010-12-02 00:45 — GBC (not verified)

GBC
01 December 2010 at 23:43

Follow @GBClegal on twitter for ongoing legal updates.

Thu, 2010-12-02 17:31 — Jill W

Bravo students of schools, colleges, universities! am SO chuffed today's youth can fight for their rights, their ethics and ideals. Keep in there X

Thu, 2010-12-02 00:54 — Wobblie (not verified)

Why are you necessarily middle class if you go to university? What is this class thing anyway?

The ‘white working class’ like to wear that title like a medal of honour as if they have fought in the trenches to earn it!

I wonder how many of these so called working class people have really experienced poverty? How many of them don’t have all the mod-cons, SKY, plasma TV, smoke, drink, run cars, etc, etc, etc. there’s nothing wrong with that lifestyle, but very often these so called ‘working class’ people have more disposable income than the so called ‘middle class’ (whatever they/we are?).

Writing as someone who was brought up in a tenement flat with no heating, no running hot water, and a tin bath in front of the fire, please don’t talk to me about class! Just because you are born into such conditions doesn’t mean you have to stay there! I have had every barrier put in front of me due to my background and disability, but I still aimed high, had aspirations and went to university.

What class am I then? If I was born with any kind of spoon in my mouth, it was a well chewed wooden spoon.

Where you live and what your parents do can determine your future, but you don’t have to let it do so, its up to you!

I am left wing and am a strong believer in the strong looking after the weak and vulnerable. But let’s get off this boring ‘class’ merry-go-round!

If its only income that determines class, then most of the so called ‘working class’ people I know should be elevated to middle class, and a lot of us who are labelled ‘middle class’ just because we might have been determined enough to break out and move forward should be redefined as ‘working class’ because a lot of us have less disposable income than the so called ‘working class’.

My deeply working class parents always wanted me to do better than them. Perhaps that’s the difference now? Parents resent their children doing better and thus hold them back. My parents valued education and saw it as a way to break-out and move forward.

Thu, 2010-12-02 17:44 — Disgruntled Tax Payer (not verified)

what a load of clap trap and bollocks

I was a student i have my debts its a fact of life get over it your running ragged of police and damaging of preperty is counter productive to your cause as you are wasting money each and everytime. the tactics you are trying to employ will not solve anything. The majority of those fighting are doing so not out of some misplaced ethics and ideals they are doing it to get a good scrap and a bit of crim damage in under the guise of their freedoms.

Fri, 2010-12-03 14:16 — Sciamachy

Buckskins, you need to research the history of Iraq to know why the Gulf War was unjustified. We partitioned their country & split it between gangsters & thieves calling themselves royalty. The Kuwaitis owed Iraq a buttload of money, & compounded it by slant-drilling Iraqi oil under the border, & undercut them on the world oil markets. Kuwait effectively declared economic war on Iraq & nobody else was standing up for Iraq. When Madeleine Albright told Saddam Hussein if he invaded Kuwait it wouldn't bother the US he took it as a tacit go-ahead. He didn't realise it was a "Go ahead: make my day". What he did was effectively the forcible reunification of his country - not a million miles from what Abraham Lincoln did when the Southern Confederacy tried to be a separate country from the North. How'd the Yankees have liked it if some foreign power got involved in the Civil War on the side of the South? About as welcome as a bacon butty in Guantanamo Bay, I'd guess? The US had a vested interest getting involved in WW2 *when it did*. It could have got involved when Germany invaded Poland, or Czechoslovakia, or when Italy went into Ethiopia, but no. You held off until every major power in the world had fought each other to near standstill before getting involved, taking the top dog position. If you hadn't, Germany would have won in Europe, Russia & Africa, Japan would have had all of Asia apart from Russia, and America would be screwed if they made war on you. It was as much by that point a fight for your own strategic survival as anything else. And well done, you won the lion's share of everything, but don't expect us to thank you for it. Now you use it as a catch-all excuse to suck us into every aggressive war you ever decide to make.

Thu, 2010-12-02 01:02 — Peter (not verified)

Thank goodness the youth of this country have woken up. Where have you been the last 20 years? Welcome back.

Thu, 2010-12-02 01:32 — Sciamachy

Stuart - I can't see as it's that different from when I was at uni, but back then, when we had partial grants & the student loan just coming in, I had to live off 1 sack of spuds & another of onions to feed me & my housemates for most of a term. My room was heated by a single fan heater run off a coin op electric meter the landlord had ramped up the cost per unit of the electricity so much so that nobody could afford to keep the place warm. There was creeping slime mould coming up from the cellar, I kid you not, & I'd be typing up essays dressed in 2 jumpers & with my duvet wrapped round me, & my fingers would lose all feeling from the cold. I've never been as poor in my life - and I was 2 years on the dole looking for work before I went to uni. Today's students have it far, far worse financially than I did. Characterising students as all being posh is absolute bollocks: the reason the government's trying to shaft them financially is because since the 1950's university ceased to be a place only the rich & those gifted enough to win bursaries went to & became something 43% of us got to do. You can't honestly say that 43% of the country are rich, unless you're seriously downshifting your definition of rich to include anyone with a house & a job.

Thu, 2010-12-02 01:39 — Nick (not verified)

Good on the students for standing up for what they believe in, it's up to the rest of us to support them and be equally prepared to stand up and be heard for what we're in danger of losing. An absolute credit to us they are!

Thu, 2010-12-02 01:41 — kyt (not verified)

"I have never felt prouder of my generation."

And rightly so.

From someone not of your generation but feels your pain in as much as I can.

Thu, 2010-12-02 02:30 — stuart (not verified)

sciamachy, i aint slagging these students off but maybe because its i am not middle class and have never been to university i cant really understand why posh sounding middle young people who come across as being very privileged and not poor are out rioting and causing mayhem, everyweek.i just cant work out why the working classes and the poor who are going to suffer from these spending cuts are not the ones out demonstrating on the streets,thats what i think should be happening and i cant understand why it is not..

Thu, 2010-12-02 18:17 — Left Is Forward (not verified)

With modern techology, we can make it totally impossible for the police or government to control us.

Even tanks on the street won't save the government now.

The anger is brewing. The people know that this is a fraudulent government that stole a fraudulent election, and they have no right to butcher us anymore.

Viva the Revolution!!

Thu, 2010-12-02 03:47 — Mr.Wom Bhatt (not verified)

Yes, good stuff young folk. As a veteran of the Vietnam Moratoriums in Australia I experienced that sense of solidarity in the face of government lies and hypocrisy. It's good to see you in political expression instead of the acquiesence by students that we have seen over the last forty years. The young have to demand a say in the running of things as your fatcat elders will be wanting to look after their own backsides. And three cheers for Laurie Penny. A true investigative journalist worthy of encouragement and respect.

Thu, 2010-12-02 19:12 — stuart (not verified)

james walsh,i dont want the left wingers or right wingers using the working classes as a tool to fight what is a mix of right wing and left wing goverment,anybody who is working class full well knows that the right wingers and the left wingers hate the poor equally,, just look how new labour treated us and now the torys and lib dems,there has to be a new politacal movement set up for the working classes where the left and the right dont use us for there own politacal agenda.

Fri, 2010-12-03 16:38 — stuart (not verified)

well said buckskins.kick these western hating communists and left wingers into touch.

Fri, 2010-12-03 17:09 — Mantis

The Five rules of Solidarity

1.An Injury to one is an Injury to all
2.Dont Cross Picket Lines
3.Fight Every Cut
4.Defend Every Job
5.Elect/recall all officers

Thu, 2010-12-02 10:17 — Gary (not verified)

Stuart(1st Dec), you are missing the point, what the students are fighting for is for access to University for ALL social classes. Yes, I agree, they may not have experienced poverty themselves, but don't you applaud their concern over keeping University education open to all social classes? Persoannli, I'm still undecided as to whether or not students should contribute to some or all of the fees, but I think it's wonderful that they have all joined together to fight for their beliefs. Cameron's Big Society' - but not as he anticipated!

Mon, 2010-12-06 23:41 — Wobblie (not verified)

Isn't it about time the UK faced the reality that there isn't a 'special relationship'? I despise and distrust most things American and what the American Imperialists represent!

Its about time the UK realised that geographically and emotionally, we are part of Europe and we're not 'Airstrip 1' (as we have been for decades now!).

So many in the uK, especially HMG (of both colours) seem to look to the US for inspiration and guidance. Since when did The States have anything to teach us about social responsibility, looking after the poor, disabled, vulnerable, and especially black and minority ethics! I'm sure some in The States think they are brilliant for electing a 'black' mixed race American to President. Simply an abaration, nothing more.

The only thing that The US has to teach us is how not to do things.

Is our military irrelevent by ccomparison to that of the USA? Well of course it is. Even our special forces are about 10% (if that) of the US's. So the answer is to stop jumping when Uncle Sam snaps his fingers, and start being independent thinkers. I think we need a war of independence - independence from Uncle Sam!

Save us from Hitler? I think not!!! Like WW1, the Yanks arrived late!

Thu, 2010-12-02 20:40 — stuart (not verified)

buckskins,this country needs a good kick up the butt,we have just wasted £463 million on bidding for the world cup.while pensioners are freezing to death because they cant afford to heat there houses,yes this is 2010 but you would think it was 1945.now i ask where are all you students protesting about issues like pensioner poverty,deprivation and unemployment for the working classes,not interested are they.selfish bums

Mon, 2010-12-06 23:51 — Wobblie (not verified)

What is this elusive thing called ‘working class’ anyway that so many (including me to some extent) like to wear as a medal of valour?

As I have said, I was born into great poverty and what was then called ‘working class’. Am I really magically transformed to ‘middle class’ just because my parents, then I, valued education? Does the fact that I went to university suddenly and magically transform this working class Londoner to middle class?

IMO, ‘working class’ as it once meant, as my parents and grandparents would have identified themselves, no longer exist. There aren’t any working class people of that nature any longer. Most of the working class people I grew up around worked very hard, often proceeded from the factory floor to the office, and certainly valued education. Education as a way up and out!

I think what we are now calling ‘working class’ is in fact an ‘under class’. This is a class that has always existed and will always exist. Maybe Orwell’s ‘proles’.

Even my parents as deeply working class people would have looked down on such people. To quote the famous sketch, ‘they knew their place’, but also knew for sure that the so called working class – or under class - of today were below them!

And finally, I live on a council estate. But most of the people now own their houses. But most of them would probably call themselves ‘working class’ and certainly have ‘traditional working class jobs’. But by virtue of owning a home, are they middle class?

Thu, 2010-12-02 10:39 — Alan Clayton (not verified)

Would you stop talking about 'Britain's kids' This is happening in far off London and in Scotland is not an issue.Tough that these kids cannot give the cops the hard time they give teachers. Hell mend them.

Thu, 2010-12-02 10:55 — Graham Ward (not verified)

As a one-time Co-President of SOAS Students Union, I am proud of the students leading the resistance, very proud to see my successors still on the front line (we always hit above our weight) - making tea and cookies - how very SOAS - and maybe a little jealous that they're getting way more media coverage than we ever did. Don't give up.

Sat, 2010-12-04 20:10 — Mikhail (not verified)

ITS A SLAP IN THE FACE,,, AS YET AGAIN WE ARE FORCED TO PAY FOR THE INDULGENCES OF THE RICH,, AND A SYSTEM THAT IS INHERENTLY DESGINED TO IMPLODE TIME AND TIME AGAIN,,, AND NEED CONSTANT RESCUE,,, FROM ITS TRICKLE-UP, CAPITALIST OLIGARCHY OF FREE SLAVE TRADE AND PROFITS OVER PEOPLE... YOU GET TIRED OF THESE NONSENSICAL, PURELY SELF-SERVING DECISIONS,,,
AND YOU ACT!!!!!

THEY'VE CREATED A WORLD OF FTZs and Free Trade aggreements, as the runners take their mark, and the world becomes their track... BY PEN AND BY GUN,, THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM CONTINUES... AMONG OTHER THINGS: EROSION OF CIVIL LIBERTIES, HUMAN RIGHTS, LABOR REGULATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, PRODUCTION QUALTY, AND SYSTEMATIC EVASION OF ANY TAX LIABILITY...

IF YOU ARE NOT INVOLVED GET INVOLVED!! MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD!!
MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN!!!! GET IN THE FIGHT!!!

IN SOLIDARITY!!!!!! GODSPEED MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!!!

Thu, 2010-12-02 21:30 — DarkDayinNovember

I thought that you were exemplary on Newsnight the other evening.

I support, fully, your belief and your actions. Remain steadfast and strong and do not waiver in your desire to achieve your goals for they are virtuous.

I am sure that you are already aware of what Mr. Aaronovitch is like from an 'opinion point of view' but I believe that this may, nonetheless, prove to be interesting reading for you as well as others who saw him trying to do his damnedest to belittle you and patronise you on national TV:

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/mehdi-hasan/2010/12/david-aaronovitch-...

For the record I must state that I believe that he failed in his bid to undermine you.

Well done Ms. Penny.

More Power To You.