A group of students affiliated with the Free Education movement conducted a “flash occupation” in the lobby of Sussex House this evening, to show solidarity with protesters in the University of Warwick.
Roughly 20 protesters occupied the management’s lobby of the building, home to the Vice-Chancellor’s Office at roughly 18:30, and performed a sit-in. The occupation lasted approximately one hour before the protesters voluntarily left the building.
According to one participant, the occupation was conducted to show support with protesters in the University of Warwick, who have also gone into occupation under the banner of free education.
In a statement on Facebook, Free Education Sussex said: “We are occupying the lobby of Sussex House in solidarity with Warwick students in the fight for free education”.
Protests at the University of Warwick turned violent yesterday, when police allegedly used CS spray against students. The Warwick for Free Education group also claim that “activists were punched, pushed onto the floor, dragged, rammed by their throat into the wall and kneed in the face”. Coventry Police are investigating the incident.
Similar occupations have also taken place at universities in Sheffield, Manchester, London and Lancaster over the last few days.
Daniel Green
