social networks & sub-platforms
★ ISM - Africa
★ ISM - Asia
★ "Balkan Student"
★ ISM - Greece
★ ISM - North America
Upcoming Events
friends of the ISM
Alliance for Education Protests Cologne/Bonn
All Nepal National Free Student's Union
Bangladesh Students' Union
Bildungsprotest (= Education Protest) Würzburg
Dept for Higher Education Politics at the OvG University of Magdeburg
Free Education Montreal
Free Education Movement Marburg
Free University of San Francisco
League of Filipino Students
Malaysia Student and Youth Democratic Movement (DEMA)
Portland Coalition to Defend Education
Pupils' Alliance Göttingen
Radio Huelga
SMI Centre
(Indonesian Student Union)
SMI Semarang City
(Indonesian Student Union)
Statewide Pupils Association Bavaria
Student Federation of India (SFI) - Kerala
Student Union of Marburg
Students for a Democratic Society - Arlington
Students for a Democratic Society - Dallas
Teacher Solidarity
United Opt Out National
...
to have your group/project added contact
Co-ordinated Actions
Protests Worldwide
- June 2012
- September 2011
- May 23-29th 2011
- August 2010
- March 2010
- 2009
Who's online
Putting together "Reclaim Education" vol.02
Dammit, I had almost all the content for the first page done, when the PC crashed. So I will only publish my suggestion for a structure of the 2nd edition of "Reclaim Education" for now.
page 1:
- keep the "About this Newsletter" box
- have two main articles (Dublin - Nov.3rd + London - Nov.10th)
page 2:
- 1 main article (introducing November 17th - What is it all about?)
- 2 boxes (short notes on protests around the world until the middle of Nov. + overview of planned actions on Nov.17th)
Will try to finish the rest (the actual content) tomorrow then.
Active forum topics
News
- Dhaka University, July 19th: Strike for Democratic Structures
- Protests at the Free University of Berlin
- Faculties occupied at Universidad de la Laguna (Spain)
- Kuala Lumpur: Rally for Free Education
- Taipei: Protest against Tuition Fees + Activist Network initiated
- Quebec (Canada): Student Strike + Massive Rally against Tuition Fees
- Movement in Support of Expelled Students at German University in Cairo
- Budapest: Protests against Education Reforms
- Starbucks squatted at Bosphorus University (Boğaziçi Üniversitesi)
- Togo, Dec.8th: Massive Protests for Access to Education
chat
main article for 1st page
Dublin: Gardai attacks Demonstration for Free Education
On November 3rd the Union of Students Ireland (USI) called for a demonstration against an increase in registration fees (£3,000) for university students. In the end up to 40,000 people flooded the streets.
Students from Free Education for Everyone (FEE) and the Students in Solidarity (SIS) network issued a call for a clearly visible left-wing presence at the demonstration calling for free access to education for all! They understood their bloc as part of the "Global Wave".
The following report was sent to the ISM mailing list by somebody involved with FEE:
One week later, on November 10th, about 700 people took to the streets of Dublin to protest the police attack.
FEE will be holding a meeting entitled: Whose streets? - Public meeting on the right to protest, on Wednesday the 17th at 8pm in AC 201, Concourse, NUI Galway, Galway, Ireland. There is a march against the hike in the registration fee and a cut in the grant the next day, Thursday, starting at Áras na Mac Léinn at 1pm and making their way to the Spanish Arch.
for further details: http://free-education.info
main article for 1st page (2)
London: 50,000 resisting the Privatisation of Higher Education
About 50,000 people from across the UK came together for a demonstration in London to protest plans to massively cut public spending and the trippling of tuition fees (£9,000 per year). Hundreds arrived by bus from as far as Scotland, travelling a whole day to get to the capital.
The cuts are expected to hit the arts and humanities hardest, as funding for science, medicine and engineering is likely to be protected. Faculties that are unable to attract third party sponsorships are likely to be threatened with closure. Only the individual and society at large, but no company nor the state have an interest to promote critical sciences. At the same time students are put under increasing presure to study something which has a high "market value" (on the labour market), so they are more likely to be able to pay back their debts.
Towards the end of the demonstration thousands of protesters took over the headquaters of the Conservative Party (Tory), the Millbank Tower. Fires was lit in front of the building, eggs were thrown and windows were smashed. Hundreds went inside and occupied the place for half a day. A group occupied the roof top and released a statement warning that "this is only the beginning".
Police forces were totally overwhelmed by the energy and determination. Nontheless there were some scuffles and in the end 14 people had to be taken to hospital. Towards the end of the day remaining protesters were kettled by police forces in front of the building. Many were handcuffed, 35 people were arrested for a range of offences, including criminal damage and trespass.
Currently groups across the UK are preparing for a day of action on November 24th.
Details on the website of the "National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts" (NCAFC): www.anticuts.com
Tory img
I can't aggree with the 2nd image of the London article, cuz it's acting false, radicalizing the whole demonstration though there was only a small group. I guess, that by these boulevard journalists making a semicircle, one paid this hoode guy to supply'em with this picture.
And are all of'em really Creative-commons licensed, aren't they?
--
wkr Kays
no CC
yep, the picture of the guy kicking the glas is not under CC.
I don't think his action is necessarily wrong. But let's just agree not to take that image then :)
main article for 1st page [shortened]
Dublin: Gardai attacks Demonstration for Free Education
On November 3rd the Union of Students Ireland (USI) called for a demonstration against an increase in registration fees (£3,000) for university students. In the end up to 40,000 people flooded the streets.
Students from Free Education for Everyone (FEE) and the Students in Solidarity (SIS) network issued a call for a clearly visible left-wing presence at the demonstration calling for free access to education for all! They understood their block as part of the "Global Wave".
More than 2,000 people joined the "Left Block" and joined a breakaway from the main demonstration, which first headed to the Irish Parliament before going to the Department of Finance. About 40 students staged a sit-in inside the lobby. After some time police managed to force everyone out of the building, after doing so they attacked by riot police (Gardai) the crowd in front of the ministry using shields, batons, dogs and horses. Several protesters suffered head injuries, one student was knocked unconscious. A few were arrested.
One week later about 700 people took to the streets of Dublin to protest the police attack.
The next protests against fees have been announced for November 18th.
for further details: http://free-education.info
main article for 1st page (2) [shortened]
London: 50,000 resisting the Privatisation of Higher Education
About 50,000 people from across the UK came together for a demonstration in London to protest plans to massively cut public spending and tripple tuition fees (£9,000 per year). Hundreds arrived by bus from as far as Scotland, travelling a whole day to get to the capital.
The cuts are expected to hit the arts and humanities hardest. Faculties that are unable to attract third party sponsorships are likely to be threatened with closure. Only the individual and society at large, but no company nor the state, have an interest to promote critical sciences. At the same time students are put under increasing presure to study something which has a promissing "return on investment", so they are more likely to be able to pay back their debts.
Towards the end of the demonstration thousands of protesters took over the headquaters of the Conservative Party (Tory), the Millbank Tower. Fires were lit in front of the building, eggs were thrown and windows were smashed. Hundreds went inside and occupied the place for half a day. A group occupied the roof top and released a statement warning that "this is only the beginning".
Police forces were totally overwhelmed by the energy and determination. Nontheless there were some scuffles and in the end 14 people had to be taken to hospital. Towards the end of the day remaining protesters were kettled by police forces in front of the building. Many were handcuffed, 35 people were arrested for a range of offences, including criminal damage and trespass.
Currently groups across the UK are preparing for a day of action on November 24th.
details: www.anticuts.com
Box [1st page]
About this newsletter
This newsletter is part of the communication infrastructure of the independent platform "International Student Movement" (ISM). The ISM is being used and shaped by education activists and groups around the world who are struggling against the increasing privatisation of public education and for free emancipatory education for all.
This newsletter is the result of voluntary work done by a few individuals who are passionate about this issue. The positions expressed are not in any way representative for any group or the "International Student Movement" as a whole.
For further details:
website: www.emancipating-education-for-all.org
contact: [email protected]
main article for 2nd page
November 17th - a memorable day
November 17 marks the International Students' Day. The date commemorates the anniversary of the 1939 Nazi storming of the University of Prague after demonstrations against against the occupation of Czechoslovakia. More than 1,200 students were taken and sent to concentration camps; and nine students and professors were executed without trial on November 17.
The International Students' Day was first marked in 1941 in London by the International Students' Council and the tradition has been kept up by the successor International Union of Students, which seems to have disscolved in the past few years as well.
This year November 17 will also be a highlight of the "Global Wave of Action for Education".
The "Global Wave" kicked off on October 7 and already saw massive protests for free education in Austria, Italy, the Ukraine and U.S.A. among others. It is being coordinated on the independent platform "International Student Movement" and will see protests against the increasing privatisation of education and for free emancipatory education for all at least until the of November around the world. The "Global Day of Action" unites all the protest actions on November 17 linked to the "Global Wave of Action for Education". Check out the box on the right side for some of the protests on this memorable day.
It's crazy how we all face the same symptoms caused by the current economic system around the world.
It's about time that we start acting together!!
~ one world - one struggle ~
Box (1, left side) [page 2]
Short notes
November 1st
A group of activists at the University of Marburg (Germany) hang a banner right at the Faculty of Social Sciences to inform students about the ongoing "Global Wave". In the same context the group is preparing the "1st Marburg Forum for Education", which will take place inside the faculty and consist of presentations, discussions, a film room and workshops as well as a concert with four bands in the evening of November 20th.
details: www.bildungsstreik-marburg.de
November 11th
For the second time the anarcho-syndicalist student labour union "Direct Action" and the "Foundation of Regional Initiatives" organised a protest as part of the "Global Wave" against the commercialisation of education. This time hundreds of students gathered for a rally in front of the Ministry of Education and Science.
details: www.direct-action.org.ua
Box (2, below) [page 2]
~ Global Day of Action ~
Send your reports to [email protected] !!
for more details: www.emancipating-education-for-all.org