LONDON- Thousands of students and school pupils protested across Britain today against planned rises in university tuition fees, bringing disruption to central London and putting strains on the coalition government.
In fiery exchanges in parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the leader of the coalition’s partner the Liberal Democrats, defended the fee hike which his party had promised to vote against during campaigning for May’s election.
Outside parliament, there were bizarre scenes of cat and mouse as protesters dispersed from the route of a designated demonstration fanning out across central London with police in hot pursuit.
There were similar protests in other major cities, as anger about the coalition government’s plans to almost triple tuition fees to up to 9,000 pounds a year showed no sign of abating.
Students have been occupying university buildings to campaign against the hike, part of austerity measures which will see 81 billion pounds of spending cuts over four years.
“It’s starting to go back to how it was when only the upper classes can go to university,” said Daisy Tolmie, 18, taking part in the third protest this month in the capital.
Saoirise Cox, 17, said: “I want to make them realise that we are political as a group, and that we’re not going to let them get away with this.”
Protesters say they feel betrayed by the coalition government, in particular the Liberal Democrats because of their pre-election pledge to oppose higher tuition fees. (Reuters)
