Thursday, November 11, 2010

Manchester University Students Occupy against the cuts

Statement from students in occupation at Manchester University:

“Students at Manchester Univeristy have peacefully occupied the John Owens Building and are lobbying the finance board over the Coalition’s attacks on higher education.

“We are demanding that the University opens its books so that we know where the cuts will fall, how many voluntary redundancies have already been made and to highlight the fact that the vice Chancellor is paid 20 times the average salary. The financial director has denied any cuts are planned, despite the fact that voluntary redundancies have been announced and the combined studies department has already been cut.

“We are here to support lecturers and administrative staff who will be losing their jobs. To oppose the rise in tuition fees that will price out most working class students. And to oppose the privatisation of our Universities.”

Rush messages of support to manunioccupation2010@gmail.com

20 comments:

  1. well well done -more occupations needed across the country

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  2. solidarity from Glasgow Uni Anti-Cuts Action Network! keep it up!

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  3. Congratulations! The start of a French-style fightback?

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  4. Solidarity from the Federation of Young European Greens. We fully support the actions of students, workers and the unemployed taking action right across Europe against the ideologically driven and unnecessary austerity measures which will disproportionately harm women, those with disabilities, ethnic minorities and children. Let's build a coalition against these cuts.

    Sebastian Power

    FYEG Co-spokesperson

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    1. absolutely right. just wanted to say keep up the great work and work hard as you are already doin'.

      Chester student accommodation

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  5. great job guys- if you need any action medic support let me know.

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  6. Keep it up. You're seriously a beacon to students around the world. We need more more more so we can spread the inspiration and message that occupations, strikes and mass demos can happen.

    Doug N
    Queen's University
    Kingston, Ontario, Canada
    PSAC 901 (teaching assistants and teaching fellows)

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  7. Fight neo-liberalism on the campus. Consider the the conditions of the cleaners and security staff as much as those of students, insecure teachers and researchers and overworked lecturers. Fight for a university freed from the dictatorship of the market. In solidarity!

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  8. Congratulations! Was proud to be one of the hoard in London yesterday, and even prouder that some people are carrying this momentum further.

    Solidarity! I hope we can expect more of this!

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  9. Congratulations and solidarity from Ceasefire Magazine
    www.ceasefiremagazine.co.uk

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  10. Brilliant stuff, keep it up!

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  11. Best of luck with this guys. I took part in a series of occupations myself against the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan, and I know how tough they can be.

    I actually wrote a piece about joining up the issue on my blog yesterday following the demo in London. Please take a look if you have the time.

    http://jennywalksriise.blogspot.com/2010/11/student-protests-in-london.html

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  12. YES MANCHESTER!
    Solidarity from Goldsmiths, hold tight, its not easy and its bloody tiring, but its always worth it.
    I like your stated aims as well.

    Soren Goard
    Goldsmiths Student Union

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  13. Well Done: why don't you co-ordinate with students at the other Manchester universities such as MMU and Salford and try to get unified action going?

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  14. Go Manchester, you beacon of northern hope, you!
    Let it be the first of many.
    Solidarity from Newcastle.
    X

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  15. you stand as an example to the rest, occupation is the only answer, occupation of work places, schools, universities and control of our communities. Self defence is not a crime.
    solidarity from Glasgow.

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  16. Allez les rouges!TV last night was bellowing on about the minority of students spoiling it for everyone else but behind that kept asking the question is this the future, lets bloody hope so

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  17. Good luck to you in your occupation
    By coincidence, I spent Thursday with my 15 year old son in my old Uni town, Lancaster. It brought back a lot of memories from 21 years ago- memories of occupying against the introduction of student loans, of marching against the first Gulf War and of the dogged opposition to the Poll Tax.
    Inevitably, as we drove back in the evening I went into boring old dad mode bemoaning the fact that students these days aren’t radical like we were. Too busy competing with each other to get their business degrees etc. etc.
    And then we turned on the radio and I ate my words…
    My lads’s generation is set to be the first to be saddled with these colossal fees and loss of maintenance allowances.
    But, now the students are starting to move, I am confident we will see a determined fightback against the ConDems and he might just get himself a proper education- not from books and seminars but from taking action, fighting for justice, acting to change the world.
    Thursday was round one to the students of 2010. You can make it round two as well.
    In solidarity,

    Rob

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