by Hesham Zakai, London Student.
The demonstration today in central London, which started at ULU in Malet Street and ended at Moorgate, passed off largely without disturbance.
Around 25 people were arrested in total, of the estimated 10,000 that turned up. Most of the arrests – around half – were for Breach of the Peace.
The atmosphere threatened to seriously deteriorate at Fetter Lane at around 3pm, when suspicions of undercover police and allegations of mounted police charges flared tensions, but that soon came to pass with minimum disruption.
The most serious report of violence we encountered was Laurie Penny’s claim of being punched in the jaw by a female police officer. More details of this will probably emerge on her blog at a later date.
The ULU Vice President, Sean Rillo Raczka, who was the Chief Steward at the demo and one of its key organisers, said: “It’s been a great day of resistance with thousands of students take to the streets against cuts and privatisation. We’re now looking forward to 30th Nov strikes.”
The area has now been cleared and the organisers and attendees will be left to reflect on where next for their campaign. One noticeable point of change is that, unlike previous students demonstrations, November 9 is likely to be considered a success by both the police and the protesters.
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