'DISCRIMINATION OUT - OCCUPATION IN!' That was the slogan which echoed through London's streets last Friday, when 3,000 students demonstrated against the Government's propos It was a slogan which nad already been put into practice by students at the London School of Economics. They marched out of a three day occupation to join the demo. Their occupation was a big success: it attracted the active support of up to 150 students and made quite clear to the college authorities that implementation of Labour's racist proposals would be met with The militancy of those who marched was in marked contrast to the tone of Trevor Phillips' speech at the rally following the demo. Phillips, a Broad Left member of the NUS Executive. dis unfortunately NUS could not support their occupation. Generously he said: 'If you have the wholehearted support of the overseas students mass of students, if you have won over your student union, and if you have the backing of your college staff - then, and only then, Nos will be pleased to support initiatives nike that at LSE.
The NUS Executive (which is Broad Left dominated) has done nothing, apart from calling Friday's demo, to defend the interests of overseas students. There has been no real campaign on discriminatory fees, and no campaign at all on government discrimination in grant awards (overseas students don't get them); on the constant surveillance of overseas students by the Home Office; or on their exploitation as cheap skilled labour in underpaid researcn teams The task of giving a lead on these issues, of organising a campaign or militant direct action in alliance win une organ ised trade union and labour movement, has been left to the revolutionaries in NUS.
Colin Robinson (LSE DEFEND OVERSEAS STUDENTS Overseas students in Britain are facing