Learning More than any Uni Lecture Could Teach Us Sussex Uni students occuppy for non payment of tuition fees by Sukant Chandan (SLP Youth national student organiser) ______________________________________________ On 1045am 27th Feb 2001 40 students occupied the Students Accounts building at Sussex House, Sussex Uni's administration building. This action was undertaken because 110 students are threatened will expulsion from our Uni because they cannot pay their tuition fees. Why did we undertake this action? This action was undertaken because a stand had to be taken against the privatisation of the education system and, conceretly, against the effects of this privatisation which means expulsions on non-payers and the further inaccessibility to working class people who cannot pay and to thoise foreign students who pay from 7 to 9 thousand pounds a year on fees. An account of the day. 1045am 40 students attempted to take the Students Accounts Office. Their was a scuffle between the students on the one hand and on the other hand a few Sussex Uni security guards and a few young male admin workers. These security guards and office workers were removed by the students after 10mins. The roof was also occupied by four students throughout the day who put banners up about the non-payment campaign. The students did not strike these people although the security guards strangled two students (including myself) at least twice each despite the calls of the strangled and the students protest. The other student who was strangled subsequently vomited four times, he was treated by paramedics soon after. I was also hit in the face by a security guard (not too hard) but he says that he put up his hands to defend himself, we've all heard that one before! by 11am we had the students account offices and made a press release, and started to contact all students, and press about this action. We also drafted a letter to the Vice-Chanclellor with these following demands: 1, that the are no retributive repurcussions on the occupiers; 2, that the 110 non-payers are not expelled and no sanctions are imposed on them (for eg, barring them from computer services and library cards); 3, That the Vice-Chancellor categorically rule out top-up fees (fees which individual Unis can impose on their students above tuition fees) at any future date. This letter was never replied to. Very soon students started gathering around the building. By 1pm the University had brought in private security (roughly 20) and police (also about 20) with dogs. Access in and out of the occupation was stopped by 1pm by the use of 6ft fencing which was put up by security with the help of the police. The construction of the fencing was resisted by thedemonstrators outside but eventually were overcome. The University (this means the security as well) and the police did not allow any food or water in, and only allowed occupiers out. Food and water were thrown in by the demonstrators outside when we could open windows and avioding being seen by security. >From 2pm on, the windows were strting to be barred by the security one a time (roughly one every 45mins) to cutt us off from the outside. Every window was defended by the occupiers and the demonstrators. The security were, by British Uni student protests standards, quite brutal in their attacks, hitting women in the face and using some razor like tool to cut cut the fingers of the occupiers in their defence of the windows (we did not see the tool itself but two occupiers were clearly cut by the security). The University demanded that Sara Turnbull step down as Sussex Uni Students Union Education Officer as she was a part of the occupation in a personal capacity. The Uni also threatened to stop funding the Union (effectively shutting down all Union services - sports, bars, shops etc) and charging the Union thousands of pounds a day from the occupation. By 4pm (roughly) the Uni gave us court injunctions which would mean that ballifs would, by force, take us to court on the 28th Wednesday morning for criminal trespass. Once all the windows had been barred it was roughly 6pm. The demonstrators outside numbered at least 100 (vacillating from 50 to 100 all day). The occupiers sent around 6pm a letter to the Vice-Chancellor stating that we would cease the occupation if their were no repurcussion on the occupiers and denouncing the brutal treatment by security. A letter came back immiediately from the VC stating that if the occupation would cease that there would be no repurcussions. At 7pm we walked out to a crowd of at least 150 students, made speeches and had a march around campus. What were the limitations of the action? Obviously more support has to be mobilised in support of these actions and this campaign. There needs be better organiation of the action and especially with the tactics with the demonstrators outside, one a certain level because of the disorganisation outside the demonstrators failed to stop the isolation of the occupoiers although with the numbers and people there could of been succesful. However, this was very different from the last two occupations of the last three years at Sussex where the occupations were concentrated in one place, they were relatively peaceful and that there was access into and out of the occupation. Neverthless there is a lot to be learnt from our shortcomings. What were the successes? Occupations are tricky things to undertake as you need to be careful about your communiscation with the wider student population as it can easily be a clique action by a few radical students. However, the occupiers main task has been to orgainse and educate the students about the issues. This was done on a very big scale when Dan Glazebrook and Sukant Chandan won President and Ecuation Officer respectively for the next academic year in the Union elections a few weeks previously. Also that the week commencing the 26th at SUssex Week has been Reclaim Education Week which has been a week of non-stop meetings, rallies, cultural events to mobilise students so we have made it a clear priority to propagandise among the students and campus workers. The police tried to make out that they were the neutral party on the day. It was clear to evryone that they were not and they were giving space to the attacks on the occupiers by the security and the police themselves assaulted various protestors. The police of the capitalist state are our enemies. The fact that when we did undertake the action, everyone in the occupation were single minded in their tasks. That there was a unity in action between different nationalities and the women were pyhsically shoulder to shoulder with the men in the occupation and in the actions outside. That notwithstanding the limits of the ptoestors they generally showed great courage in the face of hostile forces in the form of the police and the Uni's bussed in private, non-unionised security. I made a speech at the end of the occupation where I said that we have learnt a lot today. We learnt to what extent the University would go to to clamp down on our movement. That the ruling classes are very scared that progressive minded students can orgainse in the Universites and this is one of the main reasons why they are increasingly barring access to education to the working class - because Unis are one of the very few places that the sons and daughters of the workers can come and organise and educate themselves of how they are exploited and how they can end the system of exploitation. This speech was was received well. The students are enquiring about what actions to be taken aginst the University for their inprovoked violent behaviour against a non-violent sit-in (not that all the occupiers are neccessarily against the use of force in self-defence). The organisation, education and mobilisation continues. Congratulations to all the students in the action! Free Education Now! _________________________________________________________________________ To Post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Socialist Labour Party website: http://www.socialist-labour-party.org.uk
