Keep fighting, says lecturer who praised student protest

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12 April 2012

A new wave of university protests, occupations and sit-ins is set to kick off in London as students start the new term, an academic warned today.

Students will fight any future cuts to departments and courses with more mass protests, said Goldsmiths university lecturer Des Freedman.

Students stormed Tory headquarters in November last year and barricaded themselves into university buildings to protest against the tripling of tuition fees.

Mr Freedman, a reader in communications and cultural studies, sparked outrage by praising the demonstration that ended in students smashing up Millbank Tower as "magnificent".

He has now edited a book called The Assault on Universities: A Manifesto for Resistance, which encourages students to keep up the pressure on the Government. It says "attack is often the best form of defence".

Mr Freedman said: "People have learned from last year and the student movement is more sophisticated. The book is about giving people a broader perspective on why it's worth challenging the cuts and the way the Government wants to change universities."

He said industrial action, rallies, marches, occupations and teach-ins may be needed to bring the issues back into the news.

He said academics have a duty to speak to their students about protests and added: "I hope the future generation will be thinking creatively."

A spokesman for Pluto Press, which published Mr Freedman's manifesto, said: "This book will be at the heart of debates around the future of higher education in the UK and beyond, inspiring both new and seasoned activists in the fight for the soul of our universities."

Mr Freedman said the student movement was "reawakening" after a long summer holiday and added: "If it means more sit-ins and marches to make sure this issue is back on the front pages then that has to be done."

A new website for activists who want to protest about education cuts has been set up by Goldsmiths students.

Mr Freedman said he expects spontaneous demonstrations to be triggered as universities announce course cuts and closures. "There is a chance that we will see a faculty here and there being cut because of the way the changes are being implemented, and students saying 'we don't buy this' and just deciding to defend their programmes."

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