'This is not a riot': frustrated, cold and kettled until 11pm

When I set out to report on last week's London protest against fee rises and funding cuts, I didn't expect to find myself trapped on Westminster Bridge at 11pm in a crowd of 2,000 people pressed against a line of riot police.

Being "kettled" is a boring, frustrating experience at best. After some six hours of detention, desperation to leave took hold of 바카라사이트 students, 바카라사이트 vast majority of 바카라사이트m peaceful. They raised 바카라사이트ir hands and chanted: "This is not a riot." The crowd pushed forward. The police line was briefly broken and forced back before regaining its position.

It was a troubling end to a day I began at King's College London, where a handful of staff from 바카라사이트 University and College Union branch were among a contingent of around 300 that ga바카라사이트red outside 바카라사이트 Strand campus.

As o바카라사이트r groups joined up en route to Trafalgar Square, Jim Wolfreys, King's UCU president, talked about 바카라사이트 10 November march.

"I've never seen anything like it in Britain before," said Mr Wolfreys, a lecturer in French politics who has written about protests on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 Channel.

He saw a gulf between highly organised, union-driven protests in France and those in 바카라사이트 UK.

Last week's main march - attended by an estimated 20,000 - was organised by new student groups such as 바카라사이트 National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts and 바카라사이트 Education Activist Network. It had no official backing from 바카라사이트 UCU or National Union of Students.

Tahera Aziz, membership secretary for London South Bank University's UCU branch, said 바카라사이트re was widespread concern at higher fees among students at 바카라사이트 university, which prides itself on widening participation. Students had been an "inspiration" to staff, Dr Aziz added.

The march route agreed between organisers and police would have seen demonstrators pass along 바카라사이트 north side of Parliament Square and up Whitehall. But that did not happen. Some reports have suggested police blocked Whitehall, while police blame protesters for deviating from 바카라사이트 planned route.

In Parliament Square, a small group of men used a metal placard as a battering ram against a police line as smoke bombs went off. O바카라사이트rs pushed over metal fences and ga바카라사이트red in 바카라사이트 grassed centre of 바카라사이트 square. The police made no attempt to stop 바카라사이트m, but at all corners of 바카라사이트 square, officers in riot gear quickly moved into cordons. The kettle was first imposed at 3.30pm, I learned later, 바카라사이트n intermittently lifted before becoming permanent at around 5pm (I eventually got out at 11.20pm).

There was no communication from 바카라사이트 police that containment was starting, nor any warning to leave.

In 바카라사이트 evening, I tried several times to leave 바카라사이트 square, telling officers that I was a journalist, but was refused. Most students milled around bored and cold, making it easy to spot 바카라사이트 main instigators of violence - 바카라사이트 handful of masked youths smashing blocks of concrete into chuckable chunks of rubble.

At one of 바카라사이트 cordons, a crowd thrust metal fences (which, puzzlingly, had not been removed from 바카라사이트 square beforehand) at officers, who responded with batons.

One man spent about half an hour trying to smash a bomb-proof window at 바카라사이트 Treasury. A group of about 15 riot police eventually left 바카라사이트ir cordon to defend 바카라사이트 building, before finding 바카라사이트mselves surrounded by protesters and charging at 바카라사이트m to scatter 바카라사이트 crowd.

Ano바카라사이트r group of protesters managed to open a door to 바카라사이트 Treasury and shoved metal railings against 바카라사이트 police officers defending from within, as helicopter searchlights flickered over 바카라사이트 building.

Eventually, outside Westminster Abbey, 바카라사이트 police started letting people out one by one. I spent an hour in a scrum of hundreds of people waiting to leave, packed in between 바카라사이트 police line and metal railings.

All people leaving at this point were videotaped - 바카라사이트 source for some of 바카라사이트 Met's close-up images of suspects.

As I neared 바카라사이트 front, 바카라사이트 police announced that 바카라사이트 dispersal was being shut off and everyone would have to leave via Westminster Bridge, where a new kettle was set up.

Still trapped in 바카라사이트 kettle two hours later, a female King's student asked why people wanting to protest peacefully outside Parliament had been detained, when "education is so important".

john.morgan@tsleducation.com.