continued their fight against the brutal treatment handed out by police and university hired thugs during the course of their camp aien for a central students union.
Militant action was taken by a demonstration of between 800 and 1,000, involving contingents of students from all over the country. among them 80 students fresh from the victorious anti-victimisation struggle at Kent University.
The demonstration swept rightwingers off the street after they had attempted to disrupt both a rally and the demonstration itself. Militants went on to briefly occupy the lobby of the university finance office. Students and police, from a force of two hundred mobilised by the Thames Valley constabulary battled for half an hour outside the university building and finally succceded in pusting the police through the doors they were attempting to guard.
INDEPENDENT
A spokesman for the Centrat Students" Union Campaign, which had organised the demonstration, said that the reason why students had come from as far afield as Manchester and Swansea was that students elsewhere understood and sympathised with the demand for a central students" union.
We see it as part of a national struggle aguinst tepression. in defence of the right of students to organise themselves independently of the university. One of the main slogans on the demonstration was Oxford, Essex, Kent, Unite-One Struggle, One Fight!' An IMG militant from Kent spoke at the rally on behalf of the students who took on their univarsity authorities over the victimisation of a student. He emphasised that Oxford was not a special case in the degree of violence used by the university against those who were fighting for the hasie rights of students.
Far from Oxford lagging behind other more "progressive institutions, the university authorities at Oxford, Kent and Essex were showing the way for other administrations attempting to clamp down on student struggles, The demonstration cheered an Oxford speaker who said that the militancy of the demonstration had shown the university that they were not cowed or intimidated by the Vinlence aged hy the missity After sweeping right wingers off the streets, militants moved on to university finance office against students fighting for a demand that was supported by thomards of Offord students.
BATTLEGROUND
If the authorities are prepared lo tum Oxford into a battleground we must meet them and ceteal them on their own ground. It was extremely important that the Campaien had not been forced on lo the defensive, simply calline for the release of the wictimised stad. ents.
The big support for the demonStration was in spite of the conduct of the Exccutive of the National Union of Students, who at a recent meeting did not discuss this nation a lemorsation, even though an item on Oxford was on the agenda, This lack of leadership is y crucial wakness for students at many colleges who are presently stepping up direct action in defence of their living standards and in support of the NUS claim on grants. In the last week, occupations were started at Brunel University, Newcastle and Thames Poly among others. dunng the NUS 'Week of In order to maintain the high level of mobilisation and keep mact the lighting spirit of students necessary to win concessions from the minority Labour Govern ment, it is absolutely vital that all attempts of the college authorities students ine met wan a national response from all over the country: NO ALLIANCE The dominant political force on the NUS Execulive, the Communist Party, believes that the cut backs an education expenditure imposed under the Tories provide the possibility of creating an alliance hetween students and thee authorities on the basis of a commen fight against the cutbacks, Nothing could be further from the truth.
Faced with a choice of either fighting back against the State or implementing the cutbacks in their colleges, the authoritses du what they are paid for and aum to resist any attempt by students to fight against further erosions of their standand of living.
Must importantly, the college authorities are attempting to finish eff the job started by the Tories in breaking up the fighting organisation af students on whatever issue arises, mosE importantly student support to workers'struggles. This offensive must be stopped in its tracks now!
Essex University students are holding a conference on Saturday 16 March where the experience of various struggles against victimisstion will be discussed and a plan of action drawn up to meet the needs of the present struggles including those at Oxford and Essex-and those likely to emerge in the future.
The conference has succeeded in obtaining the backing of the NUS Executive. . Details frosti the Conference Organiser, Srudents Union, Essex University (tel. 0206-44144)
Red Weekly 8 March 1974 Page 3
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Essex conference on victimisation