Cambridge Students Storm London

Essay p17 Arts p20 Magazine p14 Chinua Achebe on “Bring back the porn and V Good versus V Bad. his British-infl uenced pickled sharks.” A lament This week, Her Maj’s education on the Turner Prize presence on Facebook gets a thumbs up FRIDAY 12TH NOVEMBER 2010 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1947 ISSUE NO 729 | VARSITY.CO.UK JU SHARDLOW/BILL PAUL ROUSSEAU Burglar caught Cambridge students by student storm London KIRSTY GRAY A 30-year-old male was arrested last on at the gathering crowds outside weekend in St John’s when a stu- NATASHA PESARAN the building, were quickly evacuated dent caught him trying to steal from Students from the University of once students began smashing win- unlocked rooms. Cambridge clashed with police at dows with sticks and rocks. The intruder had to be forcibly Conservative Party headquar- A line of approximately 20 police- restrained with the assistance of a ters in London, after a national men formed to defend the building, porter and another passing under- demonstration against university but were unable to prevent the graduate until police arrived. funding cuts and fees turned violent hundreds of students from surging The incident took place at 7.30am on Wednesday. forward into the foyer. on 30th October after the student Nearly 400 Cambridge students Protestors occupied the building recognised his trainers in the hands took part in the march through for around an hour, during which of an unfamiliar man passing him on central London, which saw tens of time crowds of students gathered the stairwell. thousands of students from around in the courtyard outside. Protestors When challenged, the accused the country descending on the capi- smashed windows, waved anarchist thief made a flustered dash to tal to demonstrate their anger at the fl ags and hurled eggs and bottles at escape but the student was able to government’s plans to increase tuition the police, amidst chants of “Tory pursue and grab him before he was fees and cut university funding. scum”. successful. However the protest turned vio- Demonstrators outside the build- St John’s have been quick to lent as protestors, including dozens ing also set fire to placards and defend the security of the College, of Cambridge students from Sidney burned effi gies of Nick Clegg and claiming that the trespasser was of Sussex, Trinity Hall and King’s, David Cameron, with one protestor student age so did not stand out. stormed the Tory headquarters at 30 shouting, “Nick Clegg, we know you, “The level of security is as high a Millbank, resulting in a standoff with you’re a fucking Tory too.” standard as can be achieved,” Head police who attempted to clear the A group of some 30 protestors, Porter Paul Doxey informed Var- area by force, armed with batons. amongst whom were a number of sity. “The students are reminded The demonstration, which began students from Cambridge, climbed throughout the year that they are as a peaceful march from Trafalgar up onto the roof of the building and, responsible for the individual secu- Square and along Embankment on to waving fl ags, shouted encourage- rity of their room,” he said. a rallying point past Millbank, where ment to the crowds below. Advice to “never try to tackle a speeches were to be held, was seem- One English student who made burglar yourself”, contained in the St ingly hijacked by a small wing of it onto the roof commented, “It was John’s Freshers’ Guide may need to activists intent on making trouble. amazing, looking down and seeing be reassessed, given the manner in One Cambridge student who took this mass of people below. There was which this burglary was prevented. part in the Millbank occupation told a massive cheer from the crowd when Police assured Varsity that Varsity, “As we approached Mill- they saw us up there. although the potential criminal has bank, a row of socialists holding two “Most of the people there, like me, been granted bail, he will be charged banners stopped the crowd. People were just normal students, not hard- in court and is known to police. went round shouting to the crowd, core activists at all. I hadn’t expected St John’s receives thousands of pointing out to us that this was Con- the demonstration to turn out like tourists each year, which means that servative headquarters.” that. There was such feeling and it is easy for potential burglars to “Then a bunch of students in bala- excitement; you just get caught up gain access to student rooms. clavas and hoods ripped signs off their in it all.” “It’s surprising that someone man- wooden posts and started smacking A fi re-extinguisher was thrown aged to get into an accommodation the glass with them. Someone broke from the building, which missed hit- block at that time of day,” a St John’s through the glass and people were ting people standing below by inches. historian told Varsity. “But porters banging at the doors.” 14 people were taken to hospital as a are not that diligent in checking Offi ce workers, who had looked result of injuries. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 University cards.” Student catches Trinity’s wine cellar Student activism on Police arrest student News Interview: Fred Protests p6 bicycle thief valued at £1.7m the rise at the ADC bar Pearce The An incident of bicycle theft at A recent freedom of informa- With the prospect of tuition Four police cars came to the Noted environmental jour- Cambridge the Sidgwick Site was foiled tion request has revealed that fee increases and cuts in uni- ADC on Wednesday night, nalist Fred Pearce has been Presence: by a student who caught the Trinity College’s famed wine versity spending, Cambridge after a student threatened described as the one of the thief red-handed. The inci- collection is worth £1.7 million, students have taken to the patrons and bar staff with fi nest science writers in the A report dent has highlighted the making it twice as valuable as streets to register their anger. physical and verbal abuse. country. Varsity sits down sharp increase in bicycle the government’s collection. Varsity looks at four demon- The student, who studies with him to discuss climate theft, which has made Cam- The cellar contains over 25,000 stration and protest events MML, was handcuffed and change, overpopulation, and 45 > bridge the “bike theft capital bottles, including many rare that have brought students restrained in the foyer before other matters of environ- of the UK”. ❯❯ p3 wines. ❯❯ p3 out to the streets. ❯❯ p4 being arrested. ❯❯ p8 mental concern. ❯❯ p10 9 771758 444002 12th November 2010 Something to say? 2 EDITORIAL www.varsity.co.uk [email protected] Online this week Established in 1947 COLUMNISTS Issue No 729 Including Ed Herring’s Old Examination Hall, Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3RF theatre blog and Robin Telephone: 01223 337575 Fax: 01223 760949 Jack’s gaming blog. NEWS Thorough coverage of the week’s main stories. Correction: Sexual assault investigation ast week, Varsity printed an investigation into sexual is evidence of the value of reporting similar attacks to the assault within the University. Accompanying this appropriate authorities. SPORT Linvestigation was an anonymous account from an Furthermore, the individual involved was able to move individual who had been sexually assaulted. The account on from the experience and no longer feels like a victim. Sports Comment, printed by Varsity neglected to mention the important Varsity is keen to remind its readers that pressing charges plus a look at how the rugby boys are fact that the perpetrator in this incident was convicted and and seeking help after sexual assault can result in successful shaping up for the imprisoned for the attack. This was a direct result of the convictions and support, as evidenced by the fi rst-person Varsity match. individual involved reporting the incident to the police and account mentioned above. Protests he Liberal Democrats are not the fi rst party to lie the peaceful protests in London on Wednesday have suc- about their policy on tuition fees. Labour promised not ceeded in expressing the diasappointment felt by much of Tto introduce tuition fees in 1997, and promised not to the student population in reaction to the government’s plans increase them in 2001. Both those promises were broken, and and Nick Clegg’s U-turn on the issue. Inside this week now the Liberal Democrats have broken theirs. It is a pro- It is a great shame that Wednesday’s march has been found failure of democracy that a party should win votes on overshadowed by the irresponsible and criminal action the condition that they campaign against a particular policy carried out by a minority group of protestors. Varsity joins and then fail to block that policy when they have the chance. CUSU and the NUS in condemning the violent action that ARTS It is a further failure of our democratic system that we cannot has undermined the integrity of the opposition movement. stop the government from implementing these changes. The cuts to funding in higher education are a complex The demise of porn and pickled sharks The coalition government will not reverse their decision and delicate economic and ideological issue that must be in contemporary to raise tuition fees and it seems unlikely that any amount engaged with both eloquently and sincerely. Wednesday’s British Art. of protesting will make them change their minds. However, violence was inarticulate and ineffectual. MAGAZINE MAKE A Quote Unquote: witticisms from the Edit this paper (or sections herein) DIFFERENCE! mouths of the famous.

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