Day of Action Against Student Fees

by Autonomous Student Action Mon Feb 02, 2009 10:53

Bring eggs, yogurt tomatoes and other visible perishables for wednesdays demo, its about time the Dail got the thrashing it deserves. Lets not be lead up the hill by carreerist SU leaders and lets have sbome autonomous direct action. Free education, health and public transport for all. As students leys support the striking workers and unemployed, the precarious, the sick the old, and marginalised. lets not be a student movement of empty word. Our numbers and solidarity between ourselves and and with all those across ireland and the globe who are getting fucked over by capitalists, is what will make us stronger.

by Gary Barrett - Free Education for Everyone & wsm (per cap) Mon Jan 26, 2009 11:19

It is now crystal clear that the government will attempt to bring in some form of student fees (quite possibly from Sept 09). Batt O'Keeffe has indicated that he will bring such a proposal to the cabinet towards the start of April. Therefore, the building of a movement of students, linking up with college workers and school students, is essential if we want to defeat this plan and maintain a right to free fees.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called a national demonstration for Wednesday week (4 February) at 1.30pm at the Garden of Remembrance. This is an absolutely crucial protest in the building of a movement to defeat fees. A turnout of over 20,000, plus a strategy of building a movement flowing from that in the local colleges can begin the process of knocking the government back.

FEE (Free Education for Everyone) in UCD, and across the country, has decided to put a lot of effort into really building for this demonstration - both to ensure the biggest attendance possible, and to make the crucial points of the need to go beyond this demonstration, and build a real movement across the country that can genuinely defeat fees. We have produced 20,000 full colour leaflets and other material with the arguments against fees and the reasons why people should protest.

Next week and the start of the week after are very important if we are to be successful in getting our arguments across. FEE in UCD will be engaged in the most hectic time of activity we have ever been - which is absolutely appropriate given the severity of the threat against fees. Therefore, we are asking you to help out!

FEE will be active on a daily basis next week and the week after - the activities you can help at are:
* Meet 8.30am at the 46A bus stop on Monday to leaflet students coming in to college - something like this will take place every morning, the entrance targeted might change - contact FEE (details below) to find out where we are on any morning.
* Doing leafleting and a stall to sign people up to FEE and the buses every day at lunchtime from 12pm - 2pm. Can you help for some of this? We will meet at 12pm every day in front of the Arts Block. If you can't make 12 - give us a ring and find out where we are.
* Attend the FEE public meeting on Wednesday at 1pm - venue to be confirmed - look out for the posters!

If you can't slot in to any of these activities for whatever reason, there are still things you can do to help! Get leaflets from FEE and use them to persuade your friends to come to the protest. Can you address some of your tutorial classes, or even your lecture? Text all of your friends about the demonstration - there will be buses organised by UCD Students' Union into the protest. Let all your friends on facebook / bebo etc know.

Fees can only be defeated by an active movement of students across the country. You can play a vital role in building that. Contact Julian on 085 7189621 or Paul on 086 1688050 to find out the details of what FEE is doing on any day, to get leaflets or to get involved!

*****

No cutbacks!
No fees!

Join the USI demonstration:
Assemble 1.30pm, Garden of Remembrance, Dublin, Wednesday 4 February

Five reasons you should protest on 4 February:

1. €5000 fees will hit you and your family - The government is intent on re-introducing full fees of €5,000 per year or more. Whether this is as a direct fee, a student loan system or a graduate tax, it is an attack on your right to education, as well as of those coming after you.

2. Young people locked out of education - They have already increased registration fees to €1,500 per year. Full fees would deny access to tens of thousands of young people and saddle the rest with crippling debt. The introduction of top up fees in Britain resulted in a 4% reduction in student numbers.

3. Attack on our education system – The government want bigger classes with less resources. Fees and cutbacks are the start of a massive assault by the government that will destroy our education system and which must be stopped.

4. Help knock the government back – Only a very big mobilisation can knock the government back. The government thinks students are an easy target. A protest of tens of thousands in Dublin on 4 February will force them to think again. Don’t leave it up to somebody else to protest!

5. Build a movement that can win - The demonstration on 4 February has to be the start in building a mass movement of students on every campus across the country that can defeat the government on fees and education cuts. That movement will only be built if students like you protest and get involved!

The truth about fees:

The government claims it wants to introduce fees to make the rich pay and use the revenue to increase access to college for those from working class backgrounds. This is a complete con.

* They are taking the axe to programmes to keep potential early school-leavers in school and is cutting special needs and language support. This means many vulnerable students’ hopes for third level vanishing!

*If they get away with introducing fees, they will swiftly be increased and extended to hit most, if not all students, as has happened in Britain and is happening with the registration fees.

*Abolishing fees has increased access to third-level but serious inequalities remain. The way to tackle these is not fees - it is investment in all levels of education and the establishment of a living grant for all students.

*The heads of UCD and Trinity award themselves €6 million a year for salaries, bonuses and allowances. The calls by many college authorities and Presidents for a re-introduction of fees are outrageous. Fees would not result in better education or services for students, the government would simply use it as a cost-cutting measure to hide their cutbacks in thirdlevel spending.

*The government happily handed over €10 billion to the banks. Yet they are intent on making students and our families pay for the economic crisis and on making college “profitable” for the private sector.

*Young people and mature students shouldn’t have to pay for the crisis. Education should be publicly funded by a progressive taxation system, which means that the rich should pay more in tax.

How we can defeat fees:
*The government’s partial u-turn on medical cards for older people after protest and public outcry shows that they can be defeated.

*The government is intent on introducing fees so will not be persuaded or “lobbied” to change their minds. Action, not words, is needed to force them back. They can be defeated by a mass movement of students, involving tens of thousands across the country.

*Link with others affected by the cuts – build a movement involving secondary school students and college workers.

*Organise in college – protest against visiting government TDs, target local TD offices, get everyone you know involved. This is a stepping stone to the type of campaign needed to defeat fees, including mass student strikes and occupations.

*Organise meetings on campus after the February 4th demonstration. Only by students themselves becoming organisers can we build fighting students’ unions capable of leading a movement to defeat fees. There is an urgency to this campaign: the government is due to decide on fees in April – we have to develop a significant movement before then.

What you can do to build for 4 February:

*Get leaflets from the FEE stall in your college or contact FEE in your area and give them to your friends and classmates.

*Get involved in FEE – come along to a FEE public meeting in your college or contact us. Help with stalls, leafleting and postering.

*Give a talk at the start of your tutorial or lecture about the threat of fees and why the demonstration on 4 February is so important.

*Make sure your Students’ Union is building for the protest and providing free buses to it. If they’re not, try to get a motion passed at Student Council to make sure they do.

Get involved with FEE

Free Education for Everyone (FEE) is an active campaign against fees that strives to organise second and third level students right across the country. It is currently organised in UCD, Trinity, Maynooth, NUIG, UCC and UL. FEE has organised a series of protests, blockades and occupations against fees.

FEE members are actively involved in their Students’ Unions as well as building FEE. We are aiming to build a mass movement that can defeat fees and education cuts. This will only happen if students like you get involved. Contact your local FEE group to get more leaflets to give out to your friends or to get involved in building for the protest.

National/other colleges: stopfees@gmail.com 0861688050

UCD: ucdfee@gmail.com 0857189621
TCD: trinityfee@gmail.com 0876799341
Cork: feecork@gmail.com 0861918224
Galway: feegalway@gmail.com 0861243064
UL: ulfightfees@gmail.com 0877675890
Maynooth: fee maynooth@gmail.com

by J Sun Dec 07, 2008 20:40

I'm interested that the USI has billed this as a 'Day of ACTION'.

As far as i recall, the October 22nd demo was only called a day of 'protest'.

Can someone from USI please explain exactly what is going to be different about Feb 4th?

by Mark C Mon Nov 24, 2008 19:35

I emailed USI about the "International Day of Action against Commercialism in Education" (including third level fees) when I was agiitating for an Irish presence that day, and did not even get a reply to say that my email was being considered.

This "event' is very scant on details.

The only event that took place to mark Nov. 5th was held by FEE in UCD (well done people!).

Perhaps the organisers of this event could contact the organisers of the Nov. 5th events (since we are in the process of putting together a week of action for next year.

This year on Nov. 5th demonstrations took place all over the world:
http://www.emancipating-education-for-all.org/content/r...o-far

For further details:
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/89715

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/89432