British student protests: 'Vicious violence' in London
It's anarchy in the U.K. as university students besiege the headquarters of the ruling Conservative Party. What are they so upset about?
The video: Demonstrations in London descended into violent chaos today after 50,000 students took to the streets to to protest higher university fees introduced as part of Britain's new austerity measures. At the headquarters of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party some marchers started fires, smashed windows, and even managed to gain access to the building's roof. Aaron Porter, president of the National Union of Students, blamed the violence — at least eight people were injured — on "rogue protestors" and insisted the spirit of the rally was a peaceful one.
The reaction: "Don't mess with British college students," says Parmy Olson at Forbes. The numbers they're arguing over "wouldn't rattle American students" — the higher tuition cap is still only $14,000 a year — but it's way more than "the Brits are historically used to paying," and apparently they're prepared to fight. That's because we believe that "higher education doesn't simply belong to the rich," says Nina Power at The Guardian. These fee increases will only reinforce "Britain's appalling lack of social mobility and class division." This is only the first of the inevitable protests against the "Cameron government's austerity measures," says Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic. But I can't imagine this "vicious violence" will "help the students' case." Watch a video of the violent scenes here:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Week Unwrapped: will the US end child marriage?
Podcast Why some states have no lower limit on marriage age, plus Black maternal health and the price of olive oil
By The Week Staff Published
-
Perplexity AI: has Google finally met its match?
In The Spotlight Generative AI start-up provides fast, Wikipedia-like responses to search queries
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 4 - 10 May
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published