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Two years after a massive UK student movement broke out in protest of austerity cuts and the rising costs of education, young protesters have once again taken to the streets to remind the world that their problems have not disappeared.

Roughly 10,000 students marched through London Wednesday, organized by the National Union of Students (NUS), in the first national student protest since parliament voted to allow drastic tuition and fee increases for students, in the name of austerity, two years ago.
The protests of November 2010 drew 50,000 students in London and resulted in the student occupation of Conservative Party offices in Millbank, London, along with widely documented police brutality.
"Education should open doors, but the government is slamming them shut," said the NUS leader, Liam Burns.
"The damaging effects of recent changes to education have restricted access for future students and created new barriers for those currently studying," he said.
Unlike the protests two years ago, however, police have managed to keep their batons off of students, despite a minor standoff in the middle of the march.
Prior to the march, the NUS published a survey which said the majority of voters had not forgiven, and will not vote again for, Lib Dem MPs including leader Nick Clegg, who broke campaign promises by raising tuition fees.
The march was joined by protesters from the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, and other protesters who diverted from the route agreed upon by the NUS and London Police -- expressing anger that the more tame NUS was to ready to comply with London authorities.
Michael Chessum of the National Campaign said the demonstration was about a "failure of the political system."
"We are calling for education funded by taxing the rich and big business."
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |

Roughly 10,000 students marched through London Wednesday, organized by the National Union of Students (NUS), in the first national student protest since parliament voted to allow drastic tuition and fee increases for students, in the name of austerity, two years ago.
The protests of November 2010 drew 50,000 students in London and resulted in the student occupation of Conservative Party offices in Millbank, London, along with widely documented police brutality.
"Education should open doors, but the government is slamming them shut," said the NUS leader, Liam Burns.
"The damaging effects of recent changes to education have restricted access for future students and created new barriers for those currently studying," he said.
Unlike the protests two years ago, however, police have managed to keep their batons off of students, despite a minor standoff in the middle of the march.
Prior to the march, the NUS published a survey which said the majority of voters had not forgiven, and will not vote again for, Lib Dem MPs including leader Nick Clegg, who broke campaign promises by raising tuition fees.
The march was joined by protesters from the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, and other protesters who diverted from the route agreed upon by the NUS and London Police -- expressing anger that the more tame NUS was to ready to comply with London authorities.
Michael Chessum of the National Campaign said the demonstration was about a "failure of the political system."
"We are calling for education funded by taxing the rich and big business."

Roughly 10,000 students marched through London Wednesday, organized by the National Union of Students (NUS), in the first national student protest since parliament voted to allow drastic tuition and fee increases for students, in the name of austerity, two years ago.
The protests of November 2010 drew 50,000 students in London and resulted in the student occupation of Conservative Party offices in Millbank, London, along with widely documented police brutality.
"Education should open doors, but the government is slamming them shut," said the NUS leader, Liam Burns.
"The damaging effects of recent changes to education have restricted access for future students and created new barriers for those currently studying," he said.
Unlike the protests two years ago, however, police have managed to keep their batons off of students, despite a minor standoff in the middle of the march.
Prior to the march, the NUS published a survey which said the majority of voters had not forgiven, and will not vote again for, Lib Dem MPs including leader Nick Clegg, who broke campaign promises by raising tuition fees.
The march was joined by protesters from the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, and other protesters who diverted from the route agreed upon by the NUS and London Police -- expressing anger that the more tame NUS was to ready to comply with London authorities.
Michael Chessum of the National Campaign said the demonstration was about a "failure of the political system."
"We are calling for education funded by taxing the rich and big business."