Student leader: ‘Make fees this government’s poll tax’



Mark Bergfeld

 by Mark Bergfeld, NUS executive (personal capacity).

“Wednesday’s demo was brilliant. It brought home the mass feeling against the government and its policies.

“Everyone needs to ram home that message. But we also need to stand with the Millbank protesters.

“Far from being an unrepresentative minority, the Millbank occupation involved thousands. Tens of thousands of others on the demo, hundreds of thousands of students across Britain, and millions of working people will identify with their spirit of revolt.

“Nobody should be punished or charged for what happened at Millbank.

“The Tories are wrecking lives. It’s completely welcome that the revolts we’ve seen in Greece and France have now come to London. It is the beginning of a process, not the end.

“Let’s make fees and cuts into the modern Tories’ poll tax.

“We need more demonstrations and protests like Wednesday’s. We need occupations and protests in as many colleges as possible. And students need to unite with workers and other campaigners against the government.”