Students Protest Uni Fee Increase:
The NUS is planning to oust key Liberal Democrat MPs for abandoning their pledge to vote against increased tuition fees - which are set to raise to £9,000 due to the coalition government’s plans. The NUS plan comes after the Guardian revealed that the Liberal Democrats were prepared to scrap their pledge in March, with Nick Clegg being photographed supporting an NUS pledge a month later. The NUS is hoping to oust the Lib-Dem Mps using a proposed law that gives voters the “right to recall” MPs if 10% of their constituents want them removed. The NUS coordinated the 'Fund Our Future' protest (November 10), which saw over 50,000 students, lecturers and members of the general public marching through London - over double the number of people expected by the police to be at the protest. A small group of protesters broke into and occupied the Conservative Party’s headquarters at Milibank Tower, letting off smoke bombs and smashing windows. 57 people have been arrested by police for their involvement in the protests, 10 of whom being under the age of 18. Over 40 police officers were injured during the protests.

Anti-Nuclear Protest In Germany:
Over 3,000 anti-nuclear activists have protested against a shipment of nuclear waste travelling from the French-German border to north-west Germany (November 6-9). The activists, who used tractors and Greenpeace vehicles, managed to delay the shipment by over 92 hours - the longest time it has ever taken for a shipment to make the journey. Activists are concerned about the safe storage of the waste at Gorleben and there have been allegations that Chancellor Merkel‘s extension of nuclear energy is unconstitutional. The protests occurred over four days as the train made its 500 km journey, with reports of violence occurring between police and protesters near Gorleben. Over 16,000 police officers were assigned to protect the shipment, at the cost of over 50 million euros. Rebecca Harms, a Green party member of the European Parliament, said, “The amount of courage and enthusiasm showed by the number of people who participated in the sit-in blockades was truly remarkable. The protests are an expression of what the majority of the people think.”

Honouring Of Nigerian Activist Silenced:
The Nigerian government has rejected activist’s proposals to commemorate the anniversary of hanged activist Ken Saro-Wiwa (November 12). The proposal suggested commemorating the 15 year anniversary with an annual Ken Saro-Wiwa Day, and to name a street after the activist and writer. Saro-Wiwa founded the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People and campaigned for oil companies and the government to clean up the environment and share oil profits with local people. In 1995, Saro-Wiwa was arrested for incitement to murder, tired by a military tribunal and hanged. Amnesty International released a statement this week, saying, “15 years after his death, it’s the same environmental and human rights abuses against which Ken Saro-Wiwa fought to continue.” A candle light vigil for Saro-Wiwa was disrupted by teams of heavily armed police earlier in the week (on November 9).

Words: Richard Lemmer
Photo: Flickr user burgofuturo, of Ken Saro-Wiwa