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It’s the 10th Anniversary of the Millbank Occupation And I was there
Movements are not made in a single day, but the occupation of the Millbank Tower on the 10 Nov 2010 during what was meant to be an A to B march organised by the @nusuk was certainly life changing
HISTORY LESSONFor months campaigns had been popping up across universities and colleges in England (at times at odds with NUS reps) fighting department cuts, the tripling of uni tuition fees and the scrapping of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for sixth formers
Months before 10/11/10, fresh-faced at 21, I was part of setting up the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, which strived to unite these many campaigns into a national effort against the (first Labour then Tory+Lib Dem coalition) government
The NUS demonstration was supposed to be a big show of force and we knew all along that up to 50,000 people would be marching in London that day. But it was meant to be tame. The main controversy was over where the disabled students bloc would march (front? middle)
It was meant to be so dull that grassroots organisations like the NCAFC had already launched a call for a follow up demonstration on the 24/11/2010. Students were encouraged to walk out and/or occupy their campuses (seen as a more radical action than walking down Whitehall)
*nb: that picture is meant to have been one of the first examples of meme/tagging been used as part of political campaigning. And - lol! - I came up with it
The idea was to take a selfie with the date of the protest and link to our website
Some people were more creative than me
The idea was to take a selfie with the date of the protest and link to our website
Some people were more creative than me
On the 10 November 2010 I was with the NCAFC bloc but loosely travelling up/down the march because as press Officer for the campaign I had to take stock of the size of things etc. I was by Millbank Tower when a group started kicking in windows as NUS stewards freaked out 
And to be honest I too thought fondly “aw, anarchists” and went to the the end point of the march. But the rally was so dull I came back
In those 15min things had ESCALATED
I was about where that pin is when I saw a kid throw a fire extinguisher from the roof of the building
In those 15min things had ESCALATED
I was about where that pin is when I saw a kid throw a fire extinguisher from the roof of the building
After that we got home in a daze. The shift in mood was palpable. We needed to up the ante but we also needed to know how to address the events in a way that didn’t make us/others liable to arrest (we had more demonstrations planned in the weeks ahead!)
Tabloids were on our case
Tabloids were on our case
*nb: the lecturer pictured there successfully sued the newspapers that attributed these quotes to him. But that ES splash and others truly made us panic. As the press officer of the NCAFC I went into overdrive. The days the followed I was on the phone almost 24/7
I’m not going to go into a detailed analysis of the months that followed (please do read Student Revolt by @MattJMyers which does that very well, from @PlutoPress) but I want to highlight the historical importance of the 2010/11 British Student Movement on this anniversary
While I think that the international influencing power of the events is often exaggerated, I do strongly believe that the protests that followed 10/11/10 and the results of the vote (successful to the gov) had a significant impact in the politics/world view of my generation in UK
For those who came of age in that period sleek “sensible” politicians = men & women who told us our anger was condemnable/burdened us with debt/blocked our access to education
MPs that stood with us were old socialists, pariahs to the Establishment
(Tony Benn here at NCAFC rally)
MPs that stood with us were old socialists, pariahs to the Establishment
(Tony Benn here at NCAFC rally)
Organising politically, feeling politically engaged meant being active both online & offline. Meant taking decisions collectively, having *intense* debates on the direction of things, meant being seen, heard, being present, not just voting every 4yrs or listening to PM statements
When Corbyn became leader of the Labour Party and gathered the support he did I wasn’t in the least surprised. Not because I’m a socialist but because I kept seeing the faces of 2010/11 reappearing, similar organising techniques being used, same worldview and discontent expressed
That my & later generations have seen consecutive efforts to improve the lives of average Britons fail in the face of ultra-conservatism, greed and state repression will undoubtedly have its political consequences in the near future
Corbynism wasn’t about a man but a grievance
Corbynism wasn’t about a man but a grievance
Something will come bigger and better than the projects that failed to take power in the last years. Inspired, created by & inspiring to those that came of age with the Student Movement
I believe future generations will save us but on this day I believe in my own very much still
I believe future generations will save us but on this day I believe in my own very much still
*nb: the pictures on this thread are illustrative rather than chronological
They include pictures taken by me, taken of me and taken by others
They depict promotional material as well as events organised by the NCAFC, NUS, Oppose LCC Course Redundancies and the Labour Party
They include pictures taken by me, taken of me and taken by others
They depict promotional material as well as events organised by the NCAFC, NUS, Oppose LCC Course Redundancies and the Labour Party
