Upcoming Events

Antrim | Education

no events match your query!

New Events

Antrim

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link News Round-Up Thu Aug 28, 2025 00:43 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link US Companies Take Ofcom to Court Over ?Unlawful? Censorship Under Online Safety Act Wed Aug 27, 2025 20:30 | Laurie Wastell
The transatlantic battle for free speech is heating up, says Laurie Wastell, as two US companies ? 4chan and Kiwi Farms ? take Ofcom to court over its "unlawful" censorship under the UK's notorious Online Safety Act.
The post US Companies Take Ofcom to Court Over “Unlawful” Censorship Under Online Safety Act appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Unemployed Young People ? Is Millennial Parenting to Blame? Wed Aug 27, 2025 19:00 | Guy de la B?doy?re
The young adults of 'Generation Snowflake' are notorious for their inability to cope with life and employment. Could this have anything to do with the 'gentle parenting' they received, wonders Guy de la B?doy?re.
The post Unemployed Young People ? Is Millennial Parenting to Blame? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Wind Farms Are Driving Up Electricity Bills, Admits Ofgem Wed Aug 27, 2025 17:36 | Will Jones
Energy bills are rising to help fund the extra costs of wind farms, Ofgem admitted today as it announced gas and electricity costs will go up by double the expected amount from October.
The post Wind Farms Are Driving Up Electricity Bills, Admits Ofgem appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Calling Male Transgender Samurai Killer a Woman Was Accurate, Insists BBC Wed Aug 27, 2025 15:00 | Will Jones
The BBC has defended its use of female pronouns to describe a male transgender killer who stabbed his partner to death with a samurai sword.
The post Calling Male Transgender Samurai Killer a Woman Was Accurate, Insists BBC appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Will intergovernmental institutions withstand the end of the "American Empire"?,... Sat Apr 05, 2025 07:15 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en

offsite link Disintegration of Western democracy begins in France Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:00 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en

offsite link The International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism by Amichai Chikli and Na... Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:31 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Roughly 1500-2000 in Belfast Protest Against Fees Increase and EMA Cuts

category antrim | education | news report author Friday December 10, 2010 00:34author by Róisín Report this post to the editors

Approximately 1500-2000 people took the streets in Belfast today, marching from schools and universities to congregate at the City Hall, Belfast to protest the proposed increase in fees, which could see people being charged up to £9,000 a year for tuition. The protest was also against the cuts in EMA, a small fee paid to secondary school students from lower-income families to help pay for their final two years of higher education.
One banner criticising the Liberal Democrats in the UK on going back on their promise to fight a rise in tuition fees
One banner criticising the Liberal Democrats in the UK on going back on their promise to fight a rise in tuition fees

Approximately 1500-2000 people took the streets in Belfast today, marching from schools and universities to congregate at the City Hall, Belfast to protest the proposed increase in fees, which could see people being charged up to £9,000 a year for tuition. The protest was also against the cuts in EMA, a small fee paid to secondary school students from lower-income families to help pay for their final two years of higher education.

A number of groups gathered at the City Hall to voice their opposition to the proposals at 1pm today, including QUB FEE and NIPSA, as well as Socialist, Anarhicst and Republican groups.
The protest began very peacefully, with attendees taking up the path in front of City Hall where chants took place and a number of representatives from schools, organisations and universities spoke to the crowd. Later in the day, the protesters took to the road outside of City Hall, sitting down in the street to stop the traffic in the street. This lasted for about an hour, until most protesters were moved back onto the pavements forcefully by PSNI officers using heavy-handed tactics, beating a number of protesters and charging into the crowd with batons. According to BBC, 8 people were arrested during the protest.

A group of about 30 remained on the road for a long period of time after the vast majority of protesters were removed from the road, however they were also moved at around 6.25pm. At this point, though the crowd began to lose numbers, it stood outside City Hall waiting for an announcement regarding the vote on fee rises in Westminster - at 6.45pm the crowd was informed by megaphone that the proposal had been passed by 21 votes.
After this information was revealed, the crowd remaining decided to keep up the momentum for the vote soon-to-happen in Stormont, so a meeting is being called on Monday to decide on the next protest and the organisation of it.

Related facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=114433441957577

4.jpg

5.jpg

Gerry Carroll (QUB FEE/Socialist Workers Student Society) speaking to the crowd
Gerry Carroll (QUB FEE/Socialist Workers Student Society) speaking to the crowd

Protestors and PSNI officers in front of a bus which was stopped due to the protestors' sit-down protest on the road
Protestors and PSNI officers in front of a bus which was stopped due to the protestors' sit-down protest on the road

© 2001-2025 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy