Information about the march on 19th November, about the SOAS Bloc, accessibility, staying safe, and information about other ways to get involved in supporting free education on the day!
Know Your Rights information for dealing with the police is explained here with handy gifs http://anticuts.com/2014/11/06/8424/
There’s also going to be a Know Your Rights workshop by Green and Black Cross this Monday (17th November) in the JCR at 5pm, so come along to find out more and ask any questions!
It’s important to know what to expect on the demo and about the different ways you can get involved in the Free Education campaign other than marching, so that you can informed decisions about what is most suitable for you. This description is an overview of what is planned for the SOAS Block, and what is planned for the demo as a whole. All demos are different and there may be situations that arise that are not planned by the organisers.
The march:
If you have any questions at any point on the demo please ask the stewards. The stewards will be in fluorescent yellow bibs, and the team leaders and head steward in fluorescent pink. Stewards will know the route and how long it is likely to take. They should also know where dropped curbs are at the beginning and ending of the route the nearest accessible toilets are (these are at Student Central, and at each of the assisted leaving points).
When you first turn up to the National Demonstration for Free Education, there will be lots of different sections or “blocs”. At the very front of the march opposite Senate House on Malet Street there will be a disabled bloc. This is for disabled and slow walkers who will set the pace.
If you feel you need to leave the march, there are three assisted leaving points where stewards will be on hand with water. These are at Holborn Tube Station, Kings’ College London and Trafalgar Square.
At the end of the march, which will finish at Old Palace Yard outside the Houses of Parliament, there will be a rally and a number of speakers. There will be an accessible area for disabled people to congregate in and listen to the speeches.
Tips for the demo:
-
Make sure you know who you are marching with and have contact telephone numbers for people if you get split up. We recommend having a “buddy” who you stay with throughout the demonstration to ensure you have someone who knows where you are and can support you should anything happen.
-
Make sure you have fully charged you mobile phone battery before the demonstration. Your battery may die so make sure you have key details written down.
-
Make sure that you have food, water and warm clothes and an umbrella with you, it’s better to be prepared than not!
-
Watch the police. If the police change tactics, for example start running, change their outfits, put on riot gear, begin to form lines; make sure that you are with people you know and trust and move away. The front of the demonstration is less likely to get kettled.
-
There is a “find your friends” app, which you can download with your friends. This helps track you if you get lost and may give you added reassurance that other people whom you trust know your whereabouts during the whole demonstration.
SOAS bloc:
We'll be meeting outside SOAS at 11:30am before the the Samba Band leads us to join the rest of the demonstration on Malet Street. We’ll be providing information about staying safe on protests while the Bloc is gathering and we’ll be giving out bust cards. Bust cards contain know your rights information about dealing with the police, Green & Black Cross contact details and the contact details of solicitors. There is a tear-out bust card on page 53 of the Students’ Union Handbook / Diary, so try to bring yours along, but we’ll also be giving out more on the day.
A SOAS Arrestee Support Society has been set up (yay!) and will be organising arrestee support on the day in case anyone is arrested. They will also have a phone number that you can call if you have questions or concerns about the demo or can’t find the SOAS Bloc.
It's not always possible to attend demonstration for lots of different reasons: anxiety, disability, child care, police violence, cost, time, energy. If you do not want to join the protest but want to be involved on the day, you can join a group of students who will supporting the demonstration in G50 (main SOAS building) from 1pm onwards. We will aim to facilitate a safe space in this room, which those on the march can return to at any point.
There are lots of other things to be doing, such as..
-
Tweet #freeeducation on your twitter accounts, and at the media and politicians
-
Share the updates being posted by people on the demo about what’s happening
-
Share information about Free Education and the demo with your friends on Facebook
-
Discuss how we can take forward the campaign for free education beyond the 19th November demo
-
Write blog posts - if you want them to be published on anticuts.com email againstfeesandcuts@gmail.com
-
Write to your MP about why free education matter
-
If we have missed out anything that you would like to do to support free education on the day of the demo please let us know!
***Trigger warning: discussion of rape, sexual assault and rape apologism in regards to the SWP***
A range of organisations have been involved in the demonstration and are planning to attend. One of these organisations is the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), the leadership of which has previously covered up allegations of rape and sexual assault within the party and engaged in victim blaming and rape apologism. The Party has not apologised for these actions and has not introduced reforms to ensure that this does not happen again. Thus, we will not be working with the SWP, and while we cannot prevent them from joining the demonstration itself, we will endeavour to keep SWP materials out of the SOAS Bloc, which could be triggering for some people, or replace SWP names with feminist stickers.
Please read the SOAS Students' Union Executive statement on the National Demonstration here and please contact us if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions!
http://soasunion.org/news/article/6013/Students-Union-Executive-Statement-on-the-National-Demonstration-for-Free-Education/
We hope that you have a great time on 19th November!!