The recent 'student' riots in London, over University tuition fee increases, have caused me to pause momentarily in my UK visit descriptions. I hope you will have some patience with me, as I vent my sadness and anger for a moment.
The roots of these demonstrations are in Government plans to increase University tuition fees English students pay for their education. I say just "English" students, because for some reason, University students in Scotland and Wales do not have to pay these fees. I confess I don't know a lot about how UK students pay for their University educations (evidently the Government decides how much they are to pay, not the individual state or University, like in the US). If any of my blog visitors can enlighten me on this, I would be grateful.
Due to the worldwide economic downturn, the UK finds itself in serious financial difficulty, with large deficits, and there is a need to both cut existing services, and raise fees on others--which brings the University tuition fees into the picture. The bill brought before the House of Commons stated that the Government was to raise these fees to as high as 6,000 GBP (Great Britain Pounds) a year, which would take effect in the 2012-2013 academic year, with an upper limit of 9,000 GBP a year. University graduates would not have to pay these fees back until they started earning 21,000 GBP a year.
Since the news of this tuition fee increase came out, there have been several student protests, including occupation of some University buildings, and small street demonstrations. This week, for instance, there was a small protest held in my friends the Beechings' city of Worcester--in the High Street, where Nick and I walked during my visit. According to an email from Nick, the demonstration fizzled out in a short while.
This one in London, however, was a different story altogether.
This demonstration, on Thursday evening, consisted of around 20,000 or so, marching towards Parliament Square, towards the Houses of Parliament. The original path of the demonstration was to end at Victoria Embankment, along the Thames. But most of the demonstrators were found in Parliament Square, in Whitehall, and in Trafalgar Square. And a small and nasty group broke off and headed into Regent Street, one of London's main shopping streets. Here, a number of store windows were smashed--and, worst of all, a car carrying Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, was attacked with paint balls and sticks, and shouts of "Off with their heads!". The Royals were on their way to a Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium, and got caught in traffic, and the general chaos. They were physically unharmed--but Camilla's shocked face was photographed, and seen all over the world.
It was learned the day after, that the Royal Protection officers accompanying Charles and Camilla were within seconds of using their firearms on the crowd. It's a good thing it didn't happen, or innocent shoppers could have been caught in the crossfire.
Back in Trafalgar Square, a huge Christmas tree was burnt by the mob, and some more store windows nearby were smashed. And back up in Whitehall, a really sick incident took place: Charlie Gilmour, the son of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, was photographed swinging from one of the Union flags on the Cenotaph: the memorial to UK war dead--which I had photographed, when it was covered with poppy wreaths during Remembrance Week, not so long ago! I was sickened by this photo. I learned later that this spoilt rich kid (who supposedly 'reads history' at a UK college) had taken LSD before the demonstration.
In comments made after the demonstration was over, Gilmour issued a lame 'apology', saying that he was caught up 'in the spirit of the moment', and didn't realize what he was doing, or where he was. If he's reading History in university, he must have fallen asleep in class, when the history of The Cenotaph came up. The latest report is that he's been arrested for this incident. Let's see if Mummy and Daddy continue to enable his idiot behavior, and try to get him out of any consequences for 'being caught up in the moment'!
Naturally, what Gilmour did has enraged UK serving members. And no doubt, UK veterans. I'd like to see Spolit Brat Gilmour go to a hospital where wounded UK service members are recovering from their war wounds. Or, send him to Wootton Bassett, next time a deceased soldier comes home from Afghanistan. That is, unless living UK service members don't get to him first....
The rioting continued in Whitehall, where windows in the Treasury and Supreme Court buildings were smashed. And in Parliament Square, more idiots were seen climbing on the statue of Winston Churchill, and scrawling obscene graffiti on its base...and also peeing against the base, to add insult to injury. I read where London Mayor Boris Johnson figures the total damage from the riot will cost around 50,000 GBP.
In all, over 150 demonstrators were arrested, and less than 100 were injured. Several police officers were injured as well--including a mounted officer, who was dragged from his horse, and couldn't get out of the panicked animal's way. I saw footage of a literal police horse-charge along Victoria Street, right by Westminster Abbey: a street where I walked peacefully just a few weeks ago. I was saddened, and also very angry, at all the needless destruction.
I'd like to think that the majority of students at this demonstration came for peaceful reasons, even though they are angry at the tuition fee increases. And I am sure that's the case. But huge events like this also draw out a criminal element: 'professional agitators/anarchists' who have nothing better to do than to cause chaos, and could care less about the issue at hand. The mess caused by these idiots may well come back to bite the student leaders in the butt, unless they speak out and condemn actions like this. But from what I've seen from BBC interviews, I'm not holding my breath. There were few, if any, outright condemnations of the violence by student leaders.
The way I see it, this riot didn't make any friends for the students, or their cause. No doubt there are more demonstrations in the works, protesting the tuition fees. But I hope lessons are learned, as to how to keep peaceful demonstrations from becoming riotous, and causing needless destruction of property.
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