Yeah, so you thought violent protests from students was just a South African thing? Well, not only will history (London 2010) prove you wrong, but the present will, too.

Central London has seen protesters clash with police as thousands of students marched in a rally calling for free education. Targeting government buildings as well as police, activists were throwing smoke bombs, eggs and flares.

At least 12 demonstrators, who were calling for the end of fees, the return of maintenance grants and an end to student debt, were arrested following scuffles with police along the route.

Clad in black with scarves covering their faces, activists clashed with dozens of Metropolitan police.

A small group of protesters had thrown paint outside the Home Office and another group attempted to push their way into the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills building but were prevented by police.

The 27 November will see another day of action in alliance with the treatment of international students, migrants and refugees, and students’ unions have begun the process of calling a national ballot for strike action against cuts to student support in early February. Sound familiar?

The hashtag for the London student protests is #GrantsNotDebt.

#London: Black bloc by students in today’s demonstration for #FreeEducation. #GrantsNotDebt pic.twitter.com/sbiqj9szcW via @damiengayle

— ѕyndιcalιѕт (@syndicalisms) November 4, 2015

Accusing the government of betraying students as he addressed the crowd, the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, stood on a platform with a megaphone and was cheered on by the students:

Your generation has been betrayed by this government in increases to tuition fees, in scrapping the education maintenance allowance and cuts in education. Education is a gift from one generation to another, it is not a commodity to be bought and sold.

For generations now, one generation has handed the baton to the next, they have tried to ensure that the next generation has a better quality of life than the last. This government is betraying you and future generations. You need to oppose it and I’m here in solidarity with that opposition.

Sounds like a familiar case of jumping on the bandwagon.

[source: theguardian&sky]