In Context: 5 Web Perspectives On A Story In The News

Student Protests, Then and Now

(BBC) University students in England, organized under the National Union of Students, are planning to hold a widespread protest campaign in objection to mandatory top-up fees.  The peaceful protests are expected to take various forms, such as releasing helium balloons to demonstrate "soaring" debt, campaign bus trips and creating a symbolic "wall of debt".  Dubbed "Students in the Red," the campaign is NUS's attempt at changing what they feel is an unfair funding system.

1.

Site One: Arrested during a protest? L.A. lawyers got your back.

Your Right To Protest
This page from the L.A. Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild is a detailed resource for all legal concerns related to protests in the U.S.  The website is a collection of PDF files with information on subjects such as student free speech rights and militant picketing.  Of particular interest are the articles "What to do if the FBI comes calling" and "Arrest Information" (what to do if you're arrested during a protest).

2.

Site Two: The building blocks of peaceful teen protest

How to Organize for a Cause
This WikiHow article outlines an 11-step process by which students and teens can successfully rally themselves for a cause or protest.  The steps include checking out current legislation on their issue, creating a plan, and includes links to other how-to's like "How to Assist Recently Liberated Arabs."  The tips section tells students to contact twice as many people as they want to have at their cause (the rule of 1/2) and to obtain permits before staging a protest.

3.

Site Three: Not all education protests can be peaceful

"Students in Italy clash over education cuts" - International Herald Tribune
A student protest in Italy turned ugly after students clashed with a group of radicals while protesting government education cuts on Oct. 29.  The violence broke out in the popular tourist destination of Piazza Navona, leaving three students injured and 15 arrested.  The protest was the culmination of a series of demonstrations from the previous weeks.  One university student said, "We are protesting because we have no future."

4.

Site Four: When the radicals were in Washington

Vietnam War Ephemera Collection - The University of Washington
The best-remembered period for student protests were the 1960s and 1970s in the U.S. during the war in Vietnam.  This digital collection from the University of Washington has gathered pamphlets, flyers, and other forms of student literature that were passed out on campus during these tumultuous years (see the Browse the Collection link at the right).  This site is ideal for anyone with an interest in primary documents from this time.

5.

Site Five: From the frontlines of the Canadian protest community

Students Coalition Against War
SCAW is a familiar group to many Canadian university and college students.  The group describes itself as a "grassroots social movement" with a focus on non-violent activism, reform and education.  They have chapters in Halifax, Ottawa, Edmonton and Victoria.  The website includes links to other Canadian student activism groups primarily related to social justice issues, as well as extensive multimedia features.