There was a police presence at the University of Birmingham today as a number of student protesters occupied the University’s centrepiece building, the Aston Webb Great Hall, in protest against the forthcoming rise in tuition fees and cuts to higher education. Students gained entry to a roof of the building above the main entrance and draped banners calling for David Eastwood, the University’s Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor and a vocal supporter of the controversial Browne Review into higher education, to resign. All lectures and events due to take place in the building have been cancelled on the insistence of University security.
The protests are a major embarrassment to Eastwood and the University as they coincide with an open day for prospective undergraduates. The protesters argue the rise in tuition fees will prevent students from poorer backgrounds from attending Russel Group universities such as Birmingham. There are more protests scheduled to take place throughout the day, both at Birmingham and at a national demonstration to be held in London. The University of Birmingham released a statement saying ‘the police are working with our security team to ensure the safety of about 20 people protesting on a balcony’ in what was ‘a challenging time for all in higher education’.
Students outside the Aston Webb building have NOT blocked the entrance and are NOT responsible for lectures being cancelled there. We want free access in and out of the building for students who have lectures, but security have refused and are only letting in staff.