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Students occupy Research Club at Glasgow Uni
It’s been a hectic few days for the anti-cuts struggle in Glasgow. AfterSaturday’s frantic day of charging around the city centre for the Glasgow Against Education Cuts organised ‘tour of cuts and cutters’, which saw the arrest of one student activist, early yesterday afternoon dozens of students from across Glasgow reclaimed the former post-grad social club at Glasgow Uni.
With full freedom of access now secured in the occupation, students are now preparing to hold the space, the Hetherington Research Club, as a long term hub of anti-cuts activism.
The club was forced to close almost a year ago after uni management refused to bail the club out nor accept a new finance plan after it ran into difficulties. Since then it’s been lying empty, completely untouched. With reports that the uni intend to convert the building – gifted to students over 50 years ago – into offices, yesterday over 50 students entered the building and are now in control of it.
After a full night in the space, students are digging in for the long-term. The university have said that “as long as the protest remains peaceful and does not disrupt the normal business of the university and other students, campus security will not intervene” – however, it’s clear the uni are leaving the definition of what ‘disrupting normal business’ means pretty open, especially with building work reportedly to start within the next few weeks.
A list of demands have now been drawn up, which call for the HRC to be returned to democratic student and staff control, for the reinstatement of the jobs lost when the building closed, for uni management to refuse to implement any cuts, and for an end to the government’s austerity programme. The occupiers have also demanded that Principal Anton Muscatelli either condemns cuts and fees and agrees to take the average wage of a university worker, or leaves his post.
However, the occupation of the HRC is about more than just having a series of demands met. The HRC was an important social and learning space at the university, and we want to return it to this use. Over the coming days and weeks, the HRC will hopefully be used to host a wide variety of different meetings, discussions and other events. To kick things off, later today the occupation will be getting a visit from Iraq veteran and US anti-war activist Mike Prysner, at 4pm. If you can make it, come down – it should be really good.
The occupation has huge potential, as a resource and space for the emerging movement against cuts and austerity in our city, as a rallying point and springboard for further action, and as a pattern for others to follow across the country. Viva la Hetherington libre!
http://twitter.com/glasgowoccupied
GWAN YIS GOOD THINGS!
Well done folks! Hope its a successful occupation!
Well done!
The Hetherington is a wonderful venue – and should remain in the hands of the University. Selling off such venues/ union premises is tantamount to theft – theft from our young people and theft from the country. The condems have continued the selling off of the silver Thatcher began during her reign of tyranny and suppression.
All Power to the Hetherington soviet!
Good work folks, and a fantastic idea to reclaim the closed-down premises to use as an activism hub! Will try and come by in the next few days if I can.