Following demonstrations across Scotland yesterday, further protests are taking place today ahead of this evening’s parliamentary vote on tuition fees. I’ll try and post up information as we recieve it…

1300: Currently, several hundred students are on a free-flowing march around Glasgow city centre. Attempts have already been made to occupy both the Vodafone store on Buchanan Street and a branch of RBS. Other targets have included the Army Recruitment Office on Queen St and a Bank of Scotland branch. The mood is militant, the march in noisy – so noisy I can barely make out anything folk there on the phone are saying, but I’ll do my best…

SSY members on the scene describe it as a “hundreds strong flying picket running around the city centre”, and that they’re not in anywhere yet – but occupation remains the order of the day!

14.10: One male protester has been arrested. A mass display of solidarity then followed as protesters swarmed around the police van and surrounded it – those on the scene report that the police then “drove through our line”. The police keep attempting to block the demo but are too slow, now resorting to violence against peaceful protesters and arrests.

14.15: KETTLE BROKEN – police attempt to form kettle on demo near Pitt St police station, protesters break it and keeps moving.

14.20: Demo kettled on Renfrew Street

14.30: Police “arguing angrily among themselves who’s to blame for their fuck up. “You said we could stop them sergeant. Can we fuck.” ”

14.35: Police continually attempting to form kettles which are rapidly broken – an SSY correspondent reports: “I make that four kettles we’ve broken now” !

15.10: a group of students are kettled outside the City Chambers in George Sq – many others are outside the kettle though. Some activists have been threatened by police re. previous occupations. Ongoing attempts to break the kettle but the police keep piling in more reinforcements. @camalama17 on twitter said a few minutes ago: “The student protest in Glasgow got scary. A riot van nearly ran me over, police are hysterical and running ahead to barricade the shop doors”

15.30: I’m hearing that the demo is beginning to splinter – after three hours of charging around the city and numerous kettles, so it’s looking like most of the action in Glasgow is now over. I’m sure some of those who were actually there will provide a fuller picture of how it went later on. There is still the NUS rally at the Scottish Parliament in about an hour, although travel conditions have meant that the coaches from Glasgow and I expect other places have been cancelled.

15.40: saying that, there’s still folk being kettled in George Sq who are NOT being allowed to leave.

16:05: the police are now letting students out in small numbers, but insisting that everyone gives their details, and being pretty heavy-handed with anyone who doesn’t. On a related note, three cops just showed up at my door to check I’m not breaching my bail (by being in the city centre, hence why I’m not there)… you’d think the pretty slow flow of information here would affirm that but apparently not. Anyway, I’ve been told not to encourage people to take part in protests (or something) and that maybe I should “stay away from the internet”. To the cops who’re getting paid to read this: HAHAHAHAHA.

In other news, STV have written an article about today that bears a startling resemblance to er, this one. LULZ

16:15 Further details about today’s arrest: “Glasgow FRFI supporter DominicO’Hara has been violently assaulted and arrested by Strathclyde police, please call them on 0141 532 3000 to enquire about his safety, he has been detained at Stewart Street, and is due to appear before Glasgow Sheriff Court at 1pm tomorrow. Supporters are being asked to attend the court.”

Similarly in London (but with much larger numbers!) tens of thousands of students are currently charging around the city and generally causing chaos. Hunners of polis as you can imagine, in preparedness for the HORDES OF ANARCHISTS!!! that are expected to descend on Westminster later. The protest seems to have reached a bit of an impasse now that it’s reached the police ring of steel at Parliament – “confused inactivity” reports someone on twitter.

The students have come prepared this time – the BBC is showing footage of students with reinforced banners pushing through cop lines; elsewhere thousands are still milling about with reports of kettles starting to be formed.

I don’t know what’s happening at the NUS Labour Party love-in / candlelit vigil, but I bet it’s really exciting.

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