I joined a small group of activists to produce jointly a film covering the National Protest organised by NCA£C and lead by students to tell the story that is not getting told.
My contribution to the project was the filming of the character embodied in Flaminia, an Italian masters degree student at Goldsmith University.
My contribution to the project was the filming of the character embodied in Flaminia, an Italian masters degree student at Goldsmith University.
Last Saturday 29 January 2011, I joined Flaminia at the National Protest meeting point in Mallet Street, London. She was with a few other students from her university getting ready for the march.
This National demonstration was called by National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts in the absence of action by NUS (National Union Student).
Aaron Porter, the president of the National Union Student has been asked to step down as he has lost his legitimacy in representing students since last November protest that saw students hurt, arrested and prosecuted. Students’ words are hard but irrevocable “Aaron must step down”. At the core of the recrimination a profound let down explained in Laurie Penny’s article.
So why are students protesting when the university raise in tuition fees to £9,000 per year bill has already been voted in Parliament since December 9th December 2010?
They see their fights against the raise in tuition fees as part of the Tories’ ideological spending cuts strategy. They don’t understand why they should be paying that amount of money when corporations like Top-shop, Vodafone…. are avoiding billions in taxation as UK uncut pointed out. Moreover, they are worried about their future and the prospect of finding a job in this current economical climate. What support is the state going to give them?
Since the overwhelming majority of the population seem apathetic` at the daily announcement of spending cuts, students feel compelled to act for all of us in the hope that their fight will trigger a wake-up call across the society. They dream of a unified movement where cleavage of class, age or sex ceases to fight a common goal following the path of their bothers in Tunisia and Egypt.
You could see the disappointment of the students when they realised that their protest was losing momentum at the Egyptian embassy…still they are not defeated they will return more united than ever having learned from their mistakes.
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The story of UK Uncut by Samira Shackle
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