Tuition fees demo – liveblog

By Cat Smith / @cateysmith

As the tuition fees demonstration weaves its way through London, we’ll be bringing you all of the news from the ground, as Cat Smith keeps us up to date with developments throughout the afternoon.

16.45: Our correspondent leaves the kettle – The last hour or so has grown increasingly violent in Parliament Square so I have used my parliamentary pass to escape the kettle and have gone into parliament now. You can still hear what’s going on from the MPs’ offices.

It was obvious to me that as soon as people realised they were kettled a minority became more violent. I’ve just bumped into my MP, Jeremy Corbyn who told me he condemned the use of kettling in his contribution to the debate.

Overall my chats with students on the demo were interesting and they were very well clued up and most of the anger was directed at Liberal Democrats. They told me personal accounts about friends they knew dropping out of FE courses ahead of the loss of EMA payments in the New Year. Even those who were not personally affected by the changes that look likely to go through in the next 45 minutes, they were marching for future students.

But this goes further than just student fees and the EMA. Young people were aware that there weren’t jobs for them after graduation. “No to cuts and no fees” placards were everywhere. Students can see the bigger picture and overall I think there’s a lot we can learn from them.

So I’m signing out and now camped in parliament watching the debate and 24 hour news coverage on the telly. Leaving myself open to accusations of being an armchair socialist…

16.00: Police move in – The predominantly student protest has been kettled into Parliament Square, being kept separate from the UCU rally on the Embankment. There are some arrests being made, and others being carried off by the police but I don’t know if they are being arrested.

Its difficult to tell who has been injured. Obviously its been widely reported that some police officers are injured but there are also protesters injured.

The fences that were put up to contain the protest have now been used as weapons by a violent minority.

15.12: Overall atmosphere is positive here but there are pockets of tension. The most enthusiastic corner is by parliament with the security fences that have been ripped down being used as batons. Police are fighting back and there is a small minority of violence.

There are several bonfires in the square. And music systems. One group, Socialist Students, had a PA system where I heard it reported that Jenny Willott MP was made to cry by a delegation of students from University of Glamorgan. She is still voting for fees rise.

I’m fairly sure I’m kettled in Parliament Sqaure. At least I can’t see a way out…

14.15: So the march is outside the home of democracy now and it has started boiling over. The barriers erected to keep us out of parliament square have been broken down. I think I might be kettled in here now. The police have put a line right across the front of parliament.

13.35: A movement of real people – There are hardly any SWP banners where I am. The ones that there are still say f**k fees like they did in 2003. They haven’t moved on have they? The home made student banners simply say words for what they are. An interesting shift in language over past 7 years?

Unlike other demos this is actually a protest of students, parents and trade unions. I’ve seen Unison, Unite, RMT and obviously the co-sponsors UCU so far.

13.15: Carnival atmosphere – There’s lots of music and whistles on the demo as we pass down Southampton Row. Its hard to grasp the numbers when you’re in the middle of something like this but hearing reports of 30,000 and that seems very believable.

12.55: And the march has set off! Looking around at the placards and listening in on the conversations between students you’d be forgiven for thinking it was the Liberal Democrats alone in government that was bringing in £9000 a year student fees. Its clear that students don’t feel betrayed as much by Cameron as they do by Clegg. This is almost certainly a reaction to the fact that Liberal Democrats canvassed and courted the student vote up and down the country for many years.