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

UK students oppose tuition hikes

(ABC News) David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, said the protest against his government's plan to cancel tuition fees was "completely unacceptable" after seeing images of the protest during his visit in South Korea. Protesters broke into the Conservative party headquarters Wednesday, smashing up the glass reception area. The headquarters, known as Millbrook Tower is situated in London, England and pictured above in 2006, prior to the incident. This was the first protest against 81 billion pounds (over $130 billion Canadian) of spending cuts ordered over the next four years by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. Police arrested 32 people; 14 people were injured.

1.

British student protest mirrors Greece and France

Christian Science Monitor
This story acknowledges the level of violence during the protest against the government's new tuition hike and examines a recent trend in street protests. Specifically, the story compares the protest in Britain to the recent street protest in France over pension reforms. An expert on street demonstrations is also quoted, giving his view on whether this trend in protests is likely to continue. The site contains a photo of a single policeman standing outside the wreckage of the Conservative party headquarters and several links to stories related to the British students' protest.

2.

Students continue campaigning against tuition hike

The National Union of Students (NUS)

The NUS website congratulates all of the students who protested against the Conservative coalition government's tuition hike by saying "we made history." The new cuts program is described as a "direct assault" on students' higher education, and the biggest attack of its kind in decades. NUS also makes a point of stating that they're "deeply disappointed" at the actions of a "small minority" of more than 50,000 protesters. In addition, NUS says it did everything it could to organize a peaceful protest, arguing that it was "hijacked" and NUS' press coverage overshadowed. The site also outlines NUS' official stance against the cuts program; suggests actions that students can take to become more engaged in the protest; and, links to articles written by members of the NUS about the impact of the cuts. Lots of pictures from the protest are also stored, none of which are violent.

3.

NUS accused of ‘egging on’ violence

epolitix.com
This news story investigates how NUS, and particularly, NUS president, Aaron Porter, is being portrayed by Conservative MP, Nadine Dorries, as "the architect of a dangerous demonstration that could have resulted in loss of life." It also tells readers how the Labour party's, David Lammy, came to NUS's defence, saying that "certain members of the party opposite" had "slandered" members of NUS. Porter is also quoted from an interview in The Guardian where he seeks to focus on tuition rather than the violent outbursts, condemning the violence as the actions of a "splinter demonstration."

4.

The revolution will not be televised

The North West Evening Mail
Aidan Silcocks's blog in The North West Evening Mail points out the irony of Gil Heron Scott's 1970 poem The Revolution Will Not Be Televised within the context of the British student demonstration against the tuition hike. He points out that the revolution is, in fact, being televised on YouTube, via phone, camera, and a number of other multimedia sources. Silcocks also compares the massive coverage of this protest to his experience during his visit to China, where the events of Tiananmen Square had not been widely reported. He adds his own perspective to the government's new tuition increase, saying that "ordinary and middle class" students will be paying more for their education so that foreign students won't have to. He also offers his opinion that Liberal MP, Tim Farron, "appears to be a much more honourable man" than his party leader, Dan Clegg.