Students take to the streets

Thousands take to the streets in protest of wholesale further education cuts
25/11/10

Article and photographs by Ross O'Toole

The recent student demonstrations received an extensive amount of media attention. Typically most coverage focused on London, where an outburst of violence eclipsed the protests on Merseyside and elsewhere in the UK. The tabloid friendly invasion of the Tory headquarters ensured a media frenzy subsequently clouding debate surrounding the real issues.

In Liverpool, the demographic of the protesters appeared to be a mix of university students, college students and school children. The comedy value of homemade placards made up for their numerical modesty. One protester, with some sense of irony, held aloft a placard that read 'I don't have a fire extinguisher, just this sign'. Another had scribbled 'Nick Clegg puts the 'n' in cuts'.

According to new social media websites, the march had been organised to begin at the student union and congregate at the Conservative headquarters in Hanover Street. However, a heavy police presence effectively prevented access. As a result the crowd marched up Bold Street and it often felt directionless and indecisive. Several shop owners appeared in doorways and cheered in support. Midday shoppers appeared somewhat perplexed amid the commotion. At times police seemed anxious due to the unpredictability of the procession.

At the top of Bold Street, an impromptu sit down was organized and for half an hour traffic at the junction was halted. A procession of empty buses could be seen up Hardman street, their drivers looking as dejected and bored as they might in any other traffic jam. Drivers looked clearly disgruntled.

Despite the cold, the crowd later irritated drivers further by blocking the junction outside the Everyman theatre. Returning back to the union to conclude the demonstration, several political speeches were announced over a megaphone. A few other students took to the roof as the demonstration finally reached its conclusion. Once the crowds dispersed, a 'police evidence gatherer' could be seen getting shots of a group of protesters. Their pose wouldn't have looked out of place on a holiday snap, perhaps epitomizing the overall mood of the demonstration.

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