FRFI student society members at the University College London (UCL) are among up to 200 students who occupied a central area in their university at midday today. UCL is one of 13 universities currently being occupied around the country, from Essex to Edinburgh as part of the national day of action against the three-fold increase in tuition fees announced by the ConDem government. FRFI supporters said: ‘We are using the occupied rooms and facilities as an open space for political debate, film screenings and to co-ordinate with the other university occupiers to build a national campaign against the brutal assault on students and the working class.’
The UCL occupiers’ statement says: ‘We stand against fees and savage cuts to higher education and government attempts to force society to pay for a crisis it didn’t cause. Promises have been broken, the political process has failed and we have been left with no other option. We stand in solidarity with all those fighting these cuts nationally and internationally. These cuts are a product of ideology and not necessity. Join us!’
The students demand that UCL:
- Issue a statement condemning all cuts to higher education and the rise in tuition fees.
- Implement a complete open books policy with regards to existing budget constraints.
- Ensure no redundancies for teaching, research or support staff.
- Reverse its outsourcing policy by bringing staff back in-house
- Implement the full living wage package for all cleaning, catering and security staff with no cuts to hours and jobs.
- Ensure no victimisation or repercussions for anyone participating in the occupation.
- Allow free access in and out of the occupation.
