Students Suspended After Protest

BROVVN ~~, THE South Bridge, Edinburgh EHS !TYL Tel : 031-667 1011 ext 4308 STATIONERS 12 November-17 December Janet Patterson WE'RE BETTER DREAMTIME-A Traveller's Images of Australia 20 Nicolson Street Edinburglf'EH8 9DH Mon-Sat 10 am-5 pm Admission Free 031.{i67 8844: li683804 Subsidised by the Scottkb Arts Council al, Commercial, F.durational & Social CONNOLLY Beryl Cook Exclusive Interview Exhibition Centre Pages Arts, p.16 /us 8-page Book Supplement • EU Students force Regional Council to abandon meeting. Council chaos after .Poll Tax Protest chorus of chants ranging from tingent of around 30, including tion. tional crisis". by Ian Robertson "Don't Collect, Don't Pay, Smash Edinburgh University Students' While it was suggested that He suggested to the the Tory Poll Tax" and "Maggie, Association Secretary Mark non-registration was a distraction, demonstrators that he supported DEMONSTRATORS Maggie, Maggie - Out, Out, Wheatley. Of these, Kirsty Reid speakers backed non-payment of the occupation and said that it against the poll tax occupied Out!" to the occasional less and Rick Ford, of the Socialist the poll tax. would be easier "if you want to the Lothian Regional Coun restrained outbursts. Workers Party, gained admit John Mulvey, leader of Lothian occupy us again to give us reason cil Chambers in Parliament Although there was pushing as tance to the chamber. Regional Council, called for a able warning". the demonstrators gained entry An argument took place bet concerted campaign against the Martin Donkin, of the NALGO Square last Tuesday, forcing and as police reinforcements held ween councillors over whether or poll tax, and "by smashing it, campaign against the poll tax, said the council to abandon its the bulk of the crowd back, the not to hear a delegation of rep smashing the Tories". that the time had come to stand up meeting. protest was bsically non-violent. resentatives from the various He was backed by Councillor against Conservative policy and With an initially low police pre No arrests were made. groups attending. Although this Neil Hudson who attacked the that "students were going to be sence, around 20 people, includ The demonstration was called was not agreed, several Labour Conservatives for taking away the focus of the fight". ing several students, forced their to protest against the council's fin councillors did speak to the powers from local councils, fore- Dave Donahue of EUCAPT way in and hung banners and ing of those who have refused to dempnstration. ing them to implement policies · argued that non-payment, not threw leaflets from first-floor bal- register for the poll tax. A petition No guarantee was given that such as contracting out which non-registration, was the real A )nies as well as occupying Con containing 20,000 signatures was non-registers would not be fined "only work by cowboys cutting issue, with it capable of "acting as -~ ervative councillors' seats. presented to the council. with councillors suggesting this · wages", and suggested that in not a catalyst for action against all the Throughout the occupation, Edinburgh University Cam was in the hands of the Indepen- . backing non-payment the Labour reactionary measures the Tories around 100 demonstrators paign Against the Poll Tax dent Assessor, who was under an Party was missing "a golden undemocratically impose, includ remained outside, maintaining a (EUCAPT) took parf with a con- obligation to enforce the legisla- opportunity to c~eate a constitu- ing student loans". Students suspended after protest by Aileen McColgan person told Student that there was a widespread feeling amongst stu dents that those suspended had SIX STUDENTS at the been unfairly singled out for such Polytechnic of North London harsh treatment. have ~been suspended pend Among the suspendees was a ing an investigation by the sabbatical and the secretary of the authorities into the disrup Polytechnic's Labour Club. Alle tion of Norman Tebbit's gations that the suspensions were •recent visit. politically motivated have been made. Student was told that the alleged behaviour was utterly out Tebbit was invited by a gro1Jp of of character for both and, further, Conservative students and chose that the latter, far from indulging to speak on the issue of student in "insulting and threatening loans. A demonstration against behaviour" towards Tebbit and the loans was organised to coin acting as a leader of disruption, cide with his speech. Paper and _was in fact attempting to prevent insults were hurled at Tebbit; and it. the press demanded that student heads should roll. The students' spokesperson Photo: Ian Lapraik said he felt confident that the stu On the controversial evidence dents would be reinstated after Action from· the Women's Hockey game against the Grange last Saturday a·t Peffermill. The University -of three members of staff, six stu the hearing, which he felt was gained their first league win of the season and in so doing gained sweet revenge for an earlier crushing dents were suspended. A spo~es- purely for the benefit of the press. defeat against the same side. See Report on P. 7. 12 Thursday,December8, 1988 NEWS _STUDENT I Legal campaign SA student calls . for 'free-market' :against poll tax solution · He says: "Scottish courts take a by Katka Krosnar by Aileen McColgan hard line on European law because it is not part of Scottish MR RANDOLPH Murray, an law and they feel that they are not "THE future of South Africa Edinburgh solicitor, is to launch bound by it." lies with a free-market the first appeal in the Lothian Professor Bradley ·also sees Region against a fine imposed on economic system" said a problems with the relevance of white South African student him for his failure to register for the Convention to the poll tax as, the poll tax. he says: "The Convention does speaking to EU Conservative Mr Murray told Student that the not deal with economic or social Association last Monday. legislation is, in his opinion, in rights. It is also hard to argue that Nicholas Myburgh, President breach of the European Conven rights have been breached unless tion on Hum m Rights, to which of the National Students Federa 5 you can point to a· specific ight tion of South Africa a voluntary Britain is a signatory. I that has been contravened." This is because it is, he feels, a anti-apartheid association operat tax levied without due regard to Professor Bradley says that pre ing on two-thirds of South African people's ability to pay, and it was vious attempts by the Democrats campuses, said that power should "brought in to make people to take the voting system to the be given to the people not the change thier voting patterns". European Commission as unfair State. h~ve failed because the prevailing ~ Mr Murray believes the tax is Calling for the immediate ban- -~ designed to make people elect view has been that Parliament in Britain is democratically elected. ning of racialism as "something 0.... Conservative local authorities everyone doesn't want," --= "Parliament may be passing laws ::! which, it is felt, tend to be low Myburgh went on to attack the ::C: spending authorities with corres that are unpopular with certain sections of society but nonetheless international media's coverage of 0 pondingly low projected poll tax South African issues. c5 charges. they feel it is the legislature for the · present." Mr Murray told Student that he He condemned the world press i:t; . L--- . feels the tax will signal the end of Mr Murray is to appeal to the as "Not a very reliable ·or credible act1v1t1es of the ANC, the Afncan local government. The planned Scottish courts to apply the princi source of information," and criti- · National Congress." withdrawal of central subsidies to ples of the European Convention cised its "selective use of facts on He referred to the ANC as a Myburgh also poke of the three local authorities will, he contends, but feels that he will probably · South Africa." He stressed the "Stalinist political party domini stereotypes in South africa which cause tax charges to increase until have to take his case to Europe. importance of seeing South Africa nated by Communists". Mybrugh were being exposed. Firstly that , widespread non -payment will Mr Murray's action is necessar in an African context. "These are stated that most people's impres of the blacks on a "monolithic occur. ily a private matter. As a member the premises on which we must sion of the ANC was of a "peace entity, united against the whites." Professor Bradley, a leading of Citizens Against the Poll Tax discuss the issues," he said. loving, democratic organisation. Secondly that the black commun expert on constitutional law at he is ready to help others in his Many people do not know of their ity is represented solely by the Myburgh sees South· Africa as Edinburgh University and editor position (especially as legal aid use.of violence," he said. ANC, and thirdly that the conflict "a country with enormous poten of the journal Public Law, is not may not be available for these He argued against sanctions on within South africa is a "black tial" and argued that "South optimistic about Mr Murray's actions). Those interested in con the grounds that "the only people against white conflict." chances of getting the Scottish Africa's ability to grow is seriously affected by sanctions are blacks; tacting Mr Murray should write to "Nothing could be further from courts to apply the European Barbara Simon at 186 Morrison . impeded by the twin evils of "the whites are hardly affected at all." Convention.

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