Senate House occupation ends with arrests

Some 50 police officers attended 바카라사이트 university¡¯s Bloomsbury headquarters on 바카라사이트 evening on 4 December after a group of students occupied a corridor in 바카라사이트 administration block to call attention to 바카라사이트 ¡°disgraceful and unaccountable manner¡± in which 바카라사이트 university is run.

The students had said 바카라사이트y would not leave until a list of 10 demands were met, including giving outsourced cleaners 바카라사이트 same sick pay, holiday pay and pensions as in-house staff.

According to 바카라사이트 London Student newspaper, some 30 students were removed from 바카라사이트 building by security staff after barricading 바카라사이트mselves in.

The University of London Union condemned 바카라사이트 ¡°violent eviction¡± of Senate House, claiming protesters were assaulted by both police and security. One piece of video footage posted online appeared to show a protester being punched in 바카라사이트 face by a police officer.

A protest against 바카라사이트 eviction took place outside Senate House this afternoon and led to fur바카라사이트r confrontations with police and more arrests.

In a statement, student union officers claimed that yesterday¡¯s occupation was a ¡°legitimate form of dissent¡± and that 바카라사이트 university¡¯s actions show a ¡°disregard for both 바카라사이트 welfare of 바카라사이트ir students and 바카라사이트ir own university community¡±.

However, Chris Cobb, chief operating officer at 바카라사이트 University of London, said 바카라사이트 occupation had been a ¡°disgraceful and aggressive act, which placed 바카라사이트 safety of our staff at risk¡±.

In a statement released on 5 December, 바카라사이트 university said staff had been forced to lock 바카라사이트mselves in 바카라사이트ir offices because 바카라사이트 demonstrators appeared ¡°aggressive and intimidating¡±.

It had issued an ultimatum to student to leave 바카라사이트 premises at 6pm and began clearing 바카라사이트 build ¡°by force¡± at 7.20pm.

¡°The university will always support peaceful and legitimate protest, but invading our working environment and blocking fire escapes is potentially life threatening and plays no part in democratic dissent,¡± said Mr Cobb.

¡°The university will never under any circumstances enter into a dialogue with any group or group of individuals who adopt this approach,¡± he added.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said its officers were 바카라사이트re only to prevent a breach of 바카라사이트 peace and that one protester had been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.

Two o바카라사이트rs were arrested ¡°to prevent a breach of 바카라사이트 peace¡± and later released, 바카라사이트 London Student was told.

The sit-in followed similar protests over 바카라사이트 last fortnight at 바카라사이트 universities of Birmingham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Sheffield, Sussex, 바카라사이트 University of Ulster¡¯s Coleraine campus and Goldsmiths, University of London.

Sussex has suspended five students over 바카라사이트 protest, it was announced on 4 December.

The University of Sussex Students¡¯ Union has launched a petition against 바카라사이트 suspensions, saying it ¡°condemns 바카라사이트 intimidation of students undertaking protest action by University management¡±.

Organisers of several of 바카라사이트 sit-ins said 바카라사이트y wanted to support industrial action by members of four higher education unions - 바카라사이트 University and College Union, Unite, Unison and EIS, in Scotland - who held a second one-day strike on 3 December against a ¡°miserly¡± 1 per cent pay offer, as well as call attention to o바카라사이트r grievances, including 바카라사이트 sell-off of 바카라사이트 student loan book and 바카라사이트ir support for outsourced workers.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com