Students Demonstrate against rising University Fees

Now familiar scenes in London of the student clashes with police. Tensions are running high tonight after a mainly peaceful start to the demonstrations earlier today.  Protesters are remaining in Trafalgar square as darkness falls.

After a march across London, demonstrators are being moved out of Trafalgar Square by lines of police.

Meanwhile in Wales, the assembly government has announced that its students will pay thousands less in fees than in England.  The Welsh Assembly Government announced its own fee plans, which will see Welsh students at university in Wales and England paying no more than £3,290 per year.  (This would mean that an English student at an English University could end up spending £17,000 more on a 3-year course than their Welsh counterpart or a student in a Welsh University)  This will be done via 

Student Finance Wales which is a partnership between the Welsh Assembly Government, Local Authorities and the Student Loans Company.

Student Finance Wales provides grants and loans to eligible students who normally live in Wales for both Further Education and Higher Education. This is regardless of nationality or where in the UK students are studying. 

There are also additional services for students with special circumstances, such as disabled students, or those with caring responsibilities.

Business Secretary Vince Cable says he might now abstain in the vote on fees. The vote in the House of Commons, expected before Christmas, will decide whether tuition fees in England will be raised to up to £9,000 per year.  However one of the organisers of today's protest said "abstention is not an option".  The Liberal Democrats are under pressure to honour their election manifesto and sitting on the fence is not considered enough.

Occupations have reportedly taken place in at least eight universities and in Birmingham about 30 protesters occupied the city council's offices.

There were also protests in Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester and Bristol.

The weather has had a hand in reducing the numbers of protesters.  Only the die hard students have ventured out In today's freezing conditions.

So, will we see a huge rise in the applications to Welsh Universities?  

Student Demonstration London

At least 10 people needed hospital treatment and 32 had been arrested today during a demonstration against higher tuition fees by tens of thousands of students and lecturers in London.

Police were taken by surprise by the violence of the clashes and admitted it was unexpected.  Union Leaders who had organised the march were also angered by the violence which they blamed on a minority who they said were out to "hijack" the event
Union leaders, who organised the march, condemned the violence describing it as "despicable". They blamed a minority of protesters who they said had "hijacked" the event.  With the 2012 London Olympics looming, the city is under worldwide scrutiny and Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said: "It's not acceptable. It's an embarrassment for London and for us."  He added: "I am determined to have a thorough investigation into this matter. We didn't expect this level of violence."
National Union of Students president Aaron Porter said violence was not part of the organisers' plans, blaming the trouble on a "small minority" he believed had arranged it beforehand. "We talked about the need to prevent anything like this and how important it was to act in a responsible way. Unfortunately a minority have undermined us," he added.

Riot police are attempting to drive a crowd away from Millbank Tower, next to the River Thames in central London, which houses the Conservative Party headquarters and was the centre of the trouble.

Student union groups are livid at government plans to raise the cap on tuition fees to £9,000 a year, despite proposals in the Browne review to only make students pay back the money once they earn over £21,000. The Liberal Democrats are the prime target of protests, having signed a pledge before the election promising to oppose any rise in the fees.

Nick Clegg, Sarah Teather and Stephen Williams are particularly vulnerable given their reliance on a student vote in their constituency.