Israel’s government’s rule has been a chain of scandals and failures, most recently the impact of the world capitalist crisis.
Now they are trying to save themselves from defeat in February’s elections by means of a wholesale slaughter of Palestinians in this long planned attack.
Nicos Anastasiades, “Xekinima”, CWI – Greece
Another shooting was reported on Wednesday (17 December) evening, striking a school student in the hand, but luckily not causing major damage. It is not clear yet who fired the shot (it is either a policeman or a fascist). The 16 year-old was a member of his schools’ council and was deeply involved in the movement.
Reg Empey, Minister for Employment and Learning, announced the formation of an ‘Independent’ Review Panel on variable fees. This would be the first review of fees since top-up fees were introduced in 2004. But the Socialist Society asks how independent is this new panel on fees and how will it effect students?
AROUND 100 students attended a Campaign to Defeat Fees (CDF) protest at Southampton University on 1 December. The protest and the strength of the event highlighted the opposition to fees but also marked a new stage in the struggle around the possible lifting of the cap on top-up fees in 2009.
Ben Robinson, Socialist Students Southampton
Vice-chancellors have been lobbying the government to be able to charge £6,000 a year or more, a doubling of the present rate. But the protest in Southampton, and the presence of a well organised group of activists with wide support, will have made that university’s management think twice about publicly backing calls for higher fees.
Over 200 students protested against fees at the University of Ulster while protests by QUBSU and NUS-USI are called off!
In Coleraine the protest initially was called against the annual inflation increase in fees and the cap on fees being lifted next year. Students then marched to the Main Entrance of the University and staged a sit down protest. The students demands of ‘UUC – No more fees!’ and ‘Fees, fees, fees – No, No, No!’ went far and beyond just the £80 increase this December. One student said, “What difference does £80 make when I’m £18,000 in debt!”
The cop out of the QUBSU and NUS-USI in backing out of the protest came after the Department for Employment and Learning allowed a student representative onto the independent review panel on fees. This has taken the pressure off Reg Empey and the Assembly by allowing them to slink away without any challenge fees.
Socialist Society members and students who came along expecting the protest had their own without the students union. This latest stunt of QUBSU shows how dedicated the union officials are to fighting for students rights. The only information about the protest against fees on the QUBSU’s website was to call it off!
The Socialist Society stands for a real campaign for free education independent but supported by the students’ unions. We need a movement that mobilises students, school students and workers on campus against fees and for free properly funded quality education. If the tops of the students’ unions don’t do something ordinary students will.
Andros Payiatsos, Xekinima (CWI in Greece)
Last Saturday evening, a group of young school students shouted at a police car that was passing by a cafe in which they were sitting, in the center of Athens, and threw two plastic 0,5 litre water bottles at the police car. The two policemen (special guards) stopped the car some distance away, came out of the car and approached the school students. One of the officers pulled out a gun and fired at the youths, killing one of them. The two policemen then simply turned their backs and walked away!
Last year the Socialist Society campaigned against the unjust imprisionment of a number of Nigerian students studying in Lagos who were arrested or threatened with arrest for fighting for the independence of their students’ union. One year on 10 of the students have not been able to return to university.
Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) (CWI in Nigeria)
The Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) welcome all students back to campus after the holiday. Now that we have resumed, bad welfare conditions, poor condition of accommodation, inadequate and overcrowded lecture theatres and education commercialization policies of the government continue to confront us. This therefore places the responsibility on us to resume the struggle for a free and quality education. To start with, we commend students for their steadfastness which compelled the University Management to restore the student Union last semester. However, we cannot yet shout hurrah, because about 10 student activists who fought valiantly for the independence of our union remain victimised. We must fight for their full and unconditional re-instatement.
You can help the campaign by sending protest letters to the Vice-Chancellor – mfaborode@yahoo.co.uk and mfaborod@oauife.edu.ng; the Registrar – registrar@oauife.edu.ng; the Federal Ministry of Education at enquiries@fme.gov.ng and te@fme.ng. Copies of all protest letters sent should be made available to the Democratic Socialist Movement (CWI, Nigeria) at dsmcentre@yahoo.com.
“Noi la crisi non la paghiamo” (We won’t pay for your crisis) chanted hundreds of thousands of Italian students attending a mass demonstration in Rome on Friday 14 November against €1.5 billion cuts in the education sector.
By Sarah Wrack, Sussex Socialist Students
Proposed attacks include 140,000 job cuts, that is 20% of the education workforce. Students travelled from all over Italy to show their anger at the Berlusconi government.
Video from today’s protest.
Socialist Society 