London student protest: Violence breaks out between police and demonstrators

Clashes have taken place between police and protesters during a demonstration to demand free education

5 November 2015

Violence has broken out between police and protesters during a student demonstration in London.

Footage has emerged of angry scuffles outside the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills building in Victoria Street between officers and a number of demonstrators.

Witnesses also reported smoke bombs have been thrown at officers while riot vans are believed to be in attendance. No injuries were reported.

A Met spokesman said a number of arrests have been made for public order offences after a small group of protesters threw paint outside the Home Office and another group attempted to push their way into the Department for Business Innovation and Skills building.

During the scuffles smoke bombs and eggs were also thrown at officers.

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A police cordon was put in place across Victoria Street at the junction with Dacre Street but no containment is in place.

Pooja Kondhia, 27, a broadcast journalism student at City University, said the atmosphere turned from "peaceful" to "violent" once protesters reached Downing Street.

She said she had witnessed protesters throwing flares and one demonstrator shouting aggressively at police.

She said: "At 11.30am it was quite peaceful and upbeat. But when we got to Downing Street later there were people setting off flares. Then the chants got more aggressive. There was one guy specifically chanting at the police.

"That's when I decided to leave. I needed to go anyway but I would've left because things were getting quite heated.

"I do not think I would've got away if I had got stuck in that."

The violence was condemned by some on Twitter but messages were also posted in support of the protesters.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">It's kicked off in London. Student Protest. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToryScum?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3106806-https://twitter.com/hashtag/ToryScum?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#ToryScum</a> — Joe Bloggs (@smhallphoenix) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/smhallphoenix/status/661939203673088000" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3106806-https://twitter.com/smhallphoenix/status/661939203673088000" data-vars-event-id="c23">November 4, 2015</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cereal killer protest, Halloween scum party fight, St Pancras invasion & now today's rough & tumble student demo. Worrying new riot climate? — jamescheyne (@jamescheyne) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/jamescheyne/status/661933576942952448" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3106806-https://twitter.com/jamescheyne/status/661933576942952448" data-vars-event-id="c23">November 4, 2015</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Should I walk home past the student protest? Hmmmm. Then that other bloody one tomorrow where everyone goes radge. Perils of working in SW1 — Juliette (@jubo85) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/jubo85/status/661936504248393733" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3106806-https://twitter.com/jubo85/status/661936504248393733" data-vars-event-id="c23">November 4, 2015</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rest of the march seems to have caught up - huge cheers and people leaning out of windows in support <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StudentMarch?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3106806-https://twitter.com/hashtag/StudentMarch?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#StudentMarch</a> studentprotest — Lucy Diver (@lucyandalice) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/lucyandalice/status/661934836496637952" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-3106806-https://twitter.com/lucyandalice/status/661934836496637952" data-vars-event-id="c23">November 4, 2015</a>

Thousands of students hit London's streets on Wednesday for the demonstration, which backed a call for free education.

Crowds gathered for the rally outside University of London buildings in Bloomsbury before marching towards Parliament Square.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell accused the governments of "betraying" students in an address made at the protest.

The Labour MP said: "Your generation has been betrayed by this government in increases to tuition fees, in scrapping the education maintenance allowance and cuts in education.

The cap on tuition fees was lifted under the coalition government, resulting in most universities raising the annual cost of higher education to about £9,000 a year.

Students challenged fresh plans to axe maintenance grants and replace them with loans.

Critics say the move will throw the poorest students, who already pay more in fees, into thousands of pounds of extra debt.

The rally was organised by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts.

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