Old and young joined the protest. Photo: Amy Bradshaw

The protesters met at Savoy Street and marched along The Strand, and eventually ended up at Old Palace Yard, opposite the Houses of Parliament where the rally was held. Numerous speeches were made from groups such as student nurses and health workers through to the Labour Party’s Shadow Health Secretary John Healey. The message was very clear: The NHS is not for sale.  Here are some photos of the day.

Photos by Amy Bradshaw

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We sent one of our male reporters to experience the Slutwalk. See his report from the London march.

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Women spoke out against sexual assault at the London Slutwalk over the weekend. All Photos: Simon Marlow

I’ll admit that for 30 seconds or so when I first read the moniker “SlutWalk” online, I had visions of an endless stream of leggy dolly birds, teetering along Bond Street in high heels waving handkerchiefs at me in a suggestive fashion.

I am a man after all, and have the propensity for the same idiotic thoughts that invade the brains of men across the world, and it would seem that idiotic preconceptions are the issue of the day.

Background

SlutWalk, a Canadian conception, is a reaction to a Toronto police officer’s suggestion that women could avoid sexual assault by not dressing like “sluts”. Justice Secretary Ken Clarke’s recent blunder in saying that there are different levels of seriousness when it comes to rape has also added fuel to the fire.

SlutWalk London is leading the “fight for a sexual assault survivor’s right not to feel that they were guilty in crimes that were committed against them” and proudly sports the strap-line: “Nobody deserves to be raped.”

Who can argue with that?

Attendees

The turn out of around 5,000 is a mixed bag. Casual attendees holding the standard-issue “No” signs – and dressed in nothing more provocative than a cardigan – share the street with the barely-brassiered and the fully-exposed. A girl in a hijab bumps her head on a “I don’t like Rohypnol’ banner and shouts of “Slut pride” are punctuated with fist-raising.

Melanie, a media student, tells me she’s here to “support women’s rights in general” but refers to her recent trips to South America, “I’d never wear what I do here over there…it’s a matter of culture.”

Amy, a socialist handing out Marxist literature, is adamant that the notion of dress is completely removed from the reality of sexual assault in the UK.“I am unequivocal on this, 90% of rape victims know their victims.” She finds the idea of invitation offensive and a fallacy, “I don’t accept that at all…why do some men rape toddlers or pensioners?”

Vera, a self proclaimed anarchist and stripper, is scantily clad to say the least and looks a bit taken aback when I actually ask her permission to take a photo. Even as we talk she is bothered by “professionals” snapping her exposed cleavage with a curt “cheers love.”

She doesn’t mind, but it’s clear that some of these girls are unconsciously creating the kind of objectification they are seeking to challenge.

But even with “NO” scrawled on her breasts in red lipstick, she is a pragmatist. “It will never be an invitation – it’s like justifying a murder” but “I have to protect myself.” “I work in an environment where I can express my self like this.” Would she be careful of how she dresses on a Friday night when alone in the street? “Yes”.

The afternoon is concluded by some shocking tales of sexual assault and oppression from speakers ranging from trans-gender community members to Muslim women in traditional attire.

Slutwalk Message

The spirit of the day seems to be summed up best by Sally, a London postgraduate. “Clothes,” she says “are a form of self expression. So long as they fit within the legal parameters of the state then the law should respect them with neutrality.”

I suggest that a shoplifter using the defence that “I stole this TV – because it was available and no-one was looking” would get laughed out of court.

Sally agrees.

For more pictures, see our photographic report of the Slutwalk.

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A taste of the 'Spanish Revolution' in Trafalgar Square. Photo credit: James Purtill

The last time I went to Trafalgar Square there was a revolution.  Not my choice of word; ‘revolution’ was the word on the lips of about 300 people.

It was the evening of 29 May 2011, the Sunday of a long weekend.  The first of Soho’s dedicated night owls were sloping across the square in heels and long satin dresses.  Just by the National Gallery a pair of entrepreneurial break dancing buskers with a mini-amp vied with the protest for attention.  They had about an equal-sized crowd.   A female protester in purple jeans was beating a rice cooker bowl like it was a drum; this apparently was a cacerolada, the Spanish tradition to protest by making a lot of noise with cutlery.

That evening similar protests were taking place in Rome, Berlin, Buenos Aires, San Francisco, and elsewhere.  They went by the names Indignados (‘the outraged’), ‘M-15′, after the birth date of their movement, and the ‘Spanish Revolution’.  For the past week up to 700 had been campaigning outside of London’s Spanish embassy, and this was their first venture to the Square.

A large contingent from the Greek community had come down, as well as UK Uncut, an English group campaigning against public spending cuts.  This group had ‘occupied’ Trafalgar Square for the last 8 weeks and that very day other members were occupying London banks and turning them into hospitals, complete with fake patients and fake blood, to protest funding cuts to the National Health Service and continued taxpayer-funded subsidies for banks.

Where we stood, a month ago UK Uncut protesters had clashed with police.  Eighty were injured and 200 arrested.

“We thought if they’re (the Spanish) going to take it to Trafalgar Square we better show them how it’s done,” a member of UK Uncut said. He paused.  “Because the Square is not like other places.”

A multitude of voices

Some of the protesters were asking for "Real Democracy Now". Photo credit: Nordicdesign / Flickr

Unlike, say, the widespread marches against the Iraq War, the M-15 organisers claim their protest is a revolution.  Its short-term goals such as the dismissal of certain corrupt politicians and the passing of laws for more transparency with public money are illuminated by a general belief the political and financial system that caused the financial crisis have  to be overhauled.

But when I asked a Spanish organiser what outcome she wanted from the protest she gave the cagey reply: “Real democracy.”

Maybe she did not want to be specific because this style of protesting was all about nutting out  the protest’s direction along the way. It was about having the conversation, as they say.  The important thing was to get the numbers on the pitch.

So with the crowd seated in the Square, a megaphone was passed around for anyone to stand up and give their two cents.  And they did, one after the other, for two hours.

At one point during the speeches, two men pulled themselves up onto the second tier of the nearby Victorian fountain. The men gestured for others to join them.  Their words were lost in the spray.

Accent-less, shirt-less, it was hard to know where they were from.  Yet something about them suggested they were not a part of the protest. You would think only a local, a Brit, would feel entitled to strip in public and haul himself onto a national monument. They could have been English protesters, but the reckless, attention-seeking and athletic act seemed to go against the spirit of the day.  The protest was avowedly peaceful, and drug and alcohol-free. The prevailing mood was one of self-effacing caution; if a person agreed with a speaker they did not applaud but raised both hands and jiggled the wrists and fingers.

This was no place for Woodstock-era grandstanding.

“Hands up if you’re English,” a young man with the megaphone asked the crowd.

Maybe 10 or 20 put up their hands; it wasn’t very many and a sort of wry titter ran through the mainly-Spanish crowd.

A second Englishman stood up.

‘The revolution can’t be televised, because first and foremost its in our minds,’ he said. ‘A  revolutionary act is smiling at a stranger. Or forming small committee at school and work. Only then can we have real democracy.’

Different speeches

The speeches went on in this idealistic way without reaching a definite outcome.  High overhead, Nelson on top of his column looked inscrutably out to sea.  A clock ticked down to the London Olympics opening ceremony: 424 days, 23 hours, 46 minutes, 30 seconds.  By 9pm the onlooking fluorescent-jacketed heritage wardens, along with Veolia environmental services contractors, descended the steps and swept up the cigarette butts and discarded pamphlets. Protest organisers huddled in groups dissecting the day’s success.

“It will be easy for people to criticise us as having no concrete things to say,” a 23-year-old Belgian sociology intern said. “It’s very early in the protest.  We will discuss other kinds of society and market rules. Things will by themselves.”

Different speeches, not all coherent were at the protests. Photo credit: Nordicdesign / Flickr

She said she had attended because her friends worked for less than minimum wage and could hardly cover London’s high cost of living.

Another man disputed whether what just took place was a protest at all.

‘I don’t think it’s a protest when you’re campaigning for democracy,’ he said.

He stood slightly aloof on the misty waist-high edge of the pool of the fountain that had earlier been climbed by the two men.  Middle-aged and wearing a waistcoat and a top-hat with a playing card stuck in the hat band, he looked a veteran.  He cut quite a figure. A girl dressed entirely in pink filmed his profile wordlessly, and eventually said: “I saw you at the protest at the Embassy.”

Between his knees was a black-painted cardboard box with a ballot-slot cut in the lid. The box read: ‘The Homeless Ballot Box’.  And a sign he carried read: ‘Should we have the choice to vote for self?’

I asked what he meant.

‘I’m just asking the question,’ he said cryptically. ‘Once people are asking the question then I’ll explain what I mean.’

He said he was about to set off on a speaking tour of every single one of the UK’s 500 political constituencies. Until we have real democracy, he said, the ballot box will be homeless.

I asked him how the day went.

‘I’m sick of political protests,’ he said. ‘I found this one fragmented. Fumbling but hopeful.’

UK Uncut have planned a national social strike on 30 June and the Spanish movement has called for 19 June to be a global day of action. Protests continue at the Spanish Embassy on Belgrave Square.

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Hackney Unites said that "BNP is not the answer" to the recent economic hardship in the country. Photo:Sean Wallis/ Flickr

Hackney Unites calls for protesters to ride the “hope” train to support the HOPE not hate campaign this Saturday in Thurrock, Essex, against the British National Party (BNP) in the coming local council elections.

Meeting at 9:55 on Saturday morning at Liverpool Street, the Hackney-based community group aims to attract supporters of social justice and multiculturalism to take the train together to Essex and demonstrate against the BNP. The alliance will also be delivering anti-fascist newspapers door-to-door across seven wards in Thurrock, in which the BNP are standing candidates in the local election on 6 May.

“People across the country are feeling the squeeze, things are tough, there’s no doubt about it. It is precisely in such difficult circumstances that the BNP’s politics of scapegoating, division and hatred can prove the most dangerous,” a statement from Hackney Unites said.

They hope that this demonstration will convince voters that “the BNP is not the answer”.

Followed by last year’s success in driving BNP control out of Barking and Dagenham councils, this year’s campaign will aim to further weaken the BNP’s support.

“Following the defeats of last year (and its internal feuds), the BNP is down, but not yet out. These elections could give Griffin, the BNP and their politics of hatred a boost we cannot afford,” the Hackney Unites statement said.

Thurrock is the closest of the BNP’s target areas to Hackney, according to the group. The BNP have a base of significant support – last year marked over 7,000 votes when they stood in 15 wards. This year, BNP candidates will only stand in seven wards, but they are predicted to attract more votes due to economic hardship in the country.

“In difficult times we should be ever vigilant. We need to show that hope can, and will, win through. Last year people power helped bring communities together to reject hatred and we are being asked to make repeat that success in the Thurrock elections,” the group added.

For more information of the event, please check the HOPE not Hate website.

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Europe has been seeing similar student protests as the UK. What are the main similarities and differences between them? Photo credit: Atenei in Rivolta / Flickr

Student rage doesn’t just speak English. Young protesters have taken over the streets in many other European countries including Greece and Italy, marking a new wave of demonstrations against austerity measures being introduced by governments across the continent.

While Greek students protest against government cuts to the education budget, in Italy riots exploded throughout the country as the Italian Parliament was due to discuss the university reform proposed by Education minister Mariastella Gelmini. Students joined nationwide demonstrations in the major cities to block the reform supported by the right-wing government of Silvio Berlusconi, designed to overhaul the employment of university staff and, according to the cabinet, promote meritocracy in Italy’s higher education system.

On Thursday, London will be once again see a massive gathering of protesters on the eve of the crucial Commons vote, in an attempt to persuade MPs (in particular the Liberal Democrats) to vote against a rise in tuition fees. This may seem like an impossible job indeed, but their fellow colleagues in Italy were successful in halting the university reform, forcing the Senate to postpone their decision until after 14 December.

The reform is unlikely to be approved as that same day  Berlusconi’s government will face a crucial no confidence vote. An Italian Constitutional Court decision is expected on the validity of a law passed by the government granting Berlusconi and other top officials’ immunity from prosecution while in office, making 14 December the doomsday for Berlusconi’s political survival. If things don’t go as he plans, the Italian PM is expected to resign and the university reform to be put aside for better times.

Common ground between Italy and the UK

But enough about politics: What do the Italian student protests have in common with the British ones, and what are their main differences?

A reduction in education budgets seem to repeat itself around Europe and the UK, sparking protests. Photo credit: Atenei in Rivolta / Flickr

The reason why Italian students and their fellow English colleagues smash windows and confront the police is basically similar: they are angry for what is perceived as a bleak future. In the United Kingdom, the government’s decision to axe public funding to universities will mean a hike in tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year. In Italy, things get a bit more complicated, as government slashes to higher education funding are strictly linked to the contents of the proposed reform itself.

These are the main points of the “revolution” pushed forward by the highly criticised cabinet minister responsible for education, Mariastella Gelmini:

• access for private sector interests onto university boards
• a reduction in the number of courses offered and the closure of some outlying university branches with low student attendance
• limits of six-year single mandates for rectors, who will however receive more powers for their unique mandates
• meritocratic tenures for academics, including a maximum of six years of fixed term contracts for entry-level assistant professors who must either obtain tenure during this time or leave the institution. Also, obligatory national certification for candidates applying for academic positions
• a ban on relatives working in the same university
• The creation of 4,500 new positions for assistant professors over three years and a devolution of powers from Universities to Departments, with a maximum limit of 12 faculties per institution.

Could this be the start of a new '68 in Europe? Photo credit: Atenei in Rivolta / Flickr

Where’s the problem in that, you would argue? The problem lies, as it does in Britain, with money. Despite lower tuition fees compared to British ones, the Italian university system is still affected by insufficient study grants, which are going to be cut by 89.5% after the approval of Minister Tremonti’s financial bill. Despite a lot of propaganda, the Italian system is still not used to private sector investments. The minister did not give any guideline about how the so-called Fundations are supposed to manage universities’ finances. If Italy still struggles to find sponsors for the restoration to a national landmark like the Colosseum, it’s hard to imagine that a lot of private organization will invest in higher education.

No fiscal policies to decrease taxes for investors in higher education are set in the Government’s agenda, so the perspective of turning Italian system into an “American” one seems to be more utopian than real. Amongst the angriest protesters are researchers and temporary teaching employees. They risk ending up working for universities for years (seven or eight, in the worst cases) and then being told: “Sorry, we cannot hire you, we’ve got no money. Thanks anyway for the job done.”

Culture funding

Researchers and professors are also joining in the student protests in Italy. Photo credit: Atenei in Rivolta / Flickr

Perspectives are hideous for culture in general. The minister is believed to want to cut  €280 million (£235 million) from FUS, the shrinking money pot for Culture and Entertainment. Local councils will lose something around €800 million (£671 million) next year, culture budget will be halved by 80% and Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities will have to deal with a €1.5 billion  (£1.2 billion) cut in its resources.

Things would be better in Italy and its young people less angry if only the state would believe more in its young potential: only 21 cent out of 100 euro are invested in culture and research. France and Germany, on the other hand, invest twice as much as Italy.

If Italy, seriously affected by an increase in its ageing population, fails to acknowledge the importance of its young, what has already been defined “the hot autumn” of  student protests (or, even better, “a new ’68”) is believed to continue. Students are just trying their best to be heard by too-often-deaf institutions, in an attempt to shake the dust from the senile shoulders of their beloved country. And as it will be seen on Thursday, the UK is not far behind.

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Students congregated at the University of London to put finishing touches on signs, chants and to fuel up for the day ahead. Photo credit: Michelle Abrego

While student demonstrations on Wednesday 10 November might have been overshadowed by violence on the Tory headquarters, the intentions of the organisers, the National Union of Students and the University and College Union, were to send a clear message that students want politicians to come through on their word.

During a press conference before the national demonstration, the NUS president Aaron Porter stated that students should show their electoral weight.

“Go and locate your local MP and put maximum pressure on them,” he said. “Our job is to insure politicians follow through on their word.”

He went on to say that when fees went up four years ago students saw no improvements, making it less justified to have to pay more in the future.

“Even if the tuition fees go up, how will they better a student’s education?” he added.

An estimated 50,000 attended the rally, which almost doubles the amount of people expected and made it the largest demonstration in over a decade.

“We’re here today to send out a clear message,” Porter said when asked about violence. “It’s the nature of demonstrations. We have a strong case without needing to resort to violence. What we need is a large, peaceful demonstration.”

The march covered a route pre-approved by police from Horse Guards Avenue to a rally outside the Tate Britain. There, protesters heard from UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt, NUS president Aaron Porter and TUC deputy general secretary Frances O’Grady.

Will Britain have more students studying abroad than international students?

Signs students held at the demonstration ranged from clever and serious to witty and silly. Photo credit: Michelle Abrego

Public universities in the UK will become the most expensive in the world, according to UCU President Alan Whitaker.

“It’s the wrong time, we’re the only country cutting education [funding],” he said

Whitaker also believes it is a possibility that UK students might start to seek education elsewhere while international students might forgo studying in the UK at all.

“Students don’t have to go very far, they can go to an [English-speaking school] in Holland which is closer than going to Aberdeen or Edinburgh, and they’ll be paying a lot less,” he said.

International students also joined in on the march. A Greek student who did not want to be named said: “We came here because there were things we couldn’t study in our own countries. Financially speaking, it’s still expensive for us, but it’s the quality of education we are here fighting for.”

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Protest against Fees and Cuts, 19 October 2010, London. Photo credit: Caroline Bodin

The government announced a new proposed cap last Wednesday; universities will be allowed to charge students with fees as high as £9,000 per year. Some universities are now considering privatising as a result of the announcement.

Any undergraduate taking up a BA course starting in the 2012 academic year could face a pricey bill, climbing up to £18,000 by the end of their studies. Universities have already experienced an increase in the number of applications for the 2011 academic year. It seems students are trying to get into university before the government’s proposal is put into practice.

The government’s proposal

The Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove told the BBC Radio 4′s Today programme on Wednesday 3 November, “It doesn’t seem fair to me that someone who’s working as a postman or a miner should subsidise the benefits of people who go on to become millionaires.”

The government also argues that high earner graduates will pay more interest on loans, whereas graduates earning less then £21,000 a year will pay virtually no interest on loans. According to David Willetts, Universities Minister “a quarter of graduates will pay less overall than they do at present.”

Lib Dem’s backbench MP rebellion

Since the announcement was made on Wednesday, some Lib Dem backbenchers have warned the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg that they are not prepared to break their pledge.

The Liberal Democrats had signed a pledge to vote against any rise in tuition fees, prior to the last general election. But other MPs argue that the new coalition government supersedes that pledge.

On her website’s blog page, the junior Home Office minister and Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone posted a letter on Higher education following Wednesday’s announcement. Although she feels that Vince Cable has worked really hard to “produce a more progressive way of funding Higher Education”, she also says she,  ”despair(s) that virtually the entire conversation around Higher Education is about the economics and nothing else. (…) I won’t make a final decision until the final proposals are on the table. I will have three choices in theory: support the Government (and as a Minister this would be the norm), abstain as per the coalition agreement or vote against as per the NUS pledge.”

Tomorrow’s national protest

The NUS (National Union of Students) and the UCU (University and College Union) have organised a national demonstration against cuts to further and higher education : “We will march 10.11.10” in Central London on Wednesday 10 November 2010.

Watch our interview with the president of the University of London Union, Clare Solomon:

Itw Clare Solomon 8.11.10.mp4
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The 100 Club has hosted famous rock acts such as the Sex Pistols, the Rolling Stones and Oasis. Photo credit: Lorenza Frigerio

One of London’s historic music venues, the 100 Club, is facing closure at the end of the year. Two regulars of the club are fighting to save it. Will they be able to save their beloved music venue? The First Pint’s Lorenza Frigerio investigates.

The 100 Club’s owner, Jeff Horton, announced the closure back in September, when – he said- the rent for the venue was raised by 45% (up to £4,000 per month!) by the current landlord and he could no longer afford to pay it. Horton also brought to the attention a situation which is endangering many venues and has already killed one of the most iconic: the London Astoria.

In the UK, there is no scheme to freeze rents of venues which have heritage; inevitably – even if they are doing well – they cannot afford to pay as much money as a bigger corporation would, so they end up closing down. Instead, in the US many small jazz bars have a chance to survive thanks to a preservation scheme based on a minimum rent specifically designed for the purpose of keeping unique places alive.

The 100 Club is really unique: The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Rolling Stones, Oasis and many other iconic rock groups have played there. Its walls truly bring you through the history of punk and rock.

A campaign is born

The 'Save the 100 Club' Facebook group has over 15,000 members.

Despite not having received any help from major institutions (actually, none of them offered to help), a group of people decided they wanted to try and do something about it. Jim Piddington and Rob Ryan, two musicians and regulars of the club, joined forces and started the ‘Save the 100 Club’ group on Facebook.

The campaign did have an incredible response – it had 14.000 members in its first two weeks. But Jim and Rob’s final goal is even bigger: in order to save the club they need to raise a half million pounds by the end of November. In the long term, Rob says they hope to raise further financing from sponsorships, merchandise sales and – hopefully – from bodies like the Arts Council, the Mayor’s Office and the National Lottery Heritage fund.

“The only way to secure the club for future generations is to become a charitable organization, owned by no one and run by a board of trustees who are answerable to the members,” Jim said.

Results

In the past month, the campaign has received pledges of nearly £42,000. Jim said that it came from “people who are passionate about our campaign to save the club from faceless phone company sponsorship or losing it all together.”

He added that “the profile of the campaign is getting bigger all the time.”

Will they reach their ambitious goal? Here at The First Pint we’re keeping our fingers crossed. To keep updated on the ‘Save the 100 Club’ campaign and – why not – pledge yourself in support of it, check out the Save the 100 Club website.

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Chilean protesters gathered to criticise President Piñera's abuse of the Mapuche people in Chile. Photo credit: jovengandalf/Flickr

After the success in helping to rescue the 33 miners trapped in a mine for over a month, the president of Chile Sebastián Piñera faced on Monday tough protests by Mapuche activists in his visit to the London School of Economics. Around 80 people received him at LSE holding signs saying “stop the repression against Mapuche people” and “freedom for Mapuche political prisoners”.

During the question time after his lecture at LSE, Piñera avoided to answer questions related to the Mapuche people, the indigenous inhabitants of Chile who have been historically discriminated.

“We are here today to remind society that in the south of Chile there are people being arrested illegally using anti-terrorist laws passed by Pinochet”, said Jimmy Bell from the Human Rights International Project and part of the protest group.

“The industry keeps on confiscating the lands of the Mapuches, and no Government has listened to Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International, who have complained about the situation”, he said. Bell described the situation in the audio clip below.

Who are the Mapuches?

The Mapuche people are the largest ethnic group in Chile and constitute approximately 10% of the Chilean population. Half of them live in the south of Chile and the other half are found in the capital, Santiago. There are also around 300,000 Mapuches living in Argentina.

The situation of the Mapuches in Chile is very delicate where they generally belong to the lowest classes. Historically, the State and the Church have carried on strategies to assimilate the Mapuches into Chilean society. During the Pinochet era, all Mapuche land was privatised and to a large extent sold to wealthy landlords and foreigners. Pinochet also introduced new laws, which declared that there were “no indigenous people in Chile, only Chileans”.

“A Public Relations Machine”

Is President Piñera (left) a PR Machine? Photo credit: Gobierno de Chile / Flickr

But president Piñera didn’t pay much attention to the protests. After the rescue of the Chilean miners, the head of State is the person everyone wants to meet. At the LSE talk he was received with enthusiastically ― his speech was constantly interrupted by applause ―, although not everybody in the audience was that accepting.

Piñera’s speech style, his words and his language were a reminiscent of  Latin American populist politicians. He even played a video about the rescue of the miners, which had himself as the main character. It all sounded untred, as Piñera is a rich right-wing politician that comes to power after 20 years of socialist presidents.

When activists outside were told about his silence facing the question about Mapuche people, they were very clear: “He is shameless”.

“He’s a machine of public relations – during Pinochet’s dictatorship he became rich, he used the regime to become a multimillionaire,” Jimmy Bell said, “and now he pretends to be a democratic president.”

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