NEWS: Hundreds at Queen’s protest against Browne review

Hundreds of Queen’s students today protested against the recent Browne review at Mandela Hall and outside the university. Student representatives from NUS-USI and the Students’ Union initiated the Union General Meeting at noon and asked students to back their motion to reject Lord Browne’s proposals. NUS-USI President Ciarnan Helferty called not only on students but on families as well to outright reject any proposal to increase tuition charges at Northern Ireland universities.

BY SEAN ASHFORD AND LAURA MCANENEY

In what has been described as the biggest protest on Queen’s campus in well over a decade, students gathered at the Union’s Mandela Hall where representatives pledged to fight against the lifting of the cap on fees, currently at £3,290. Last week’s Browne recommendations on higher education funding suggested that universities in England be permitted to raise their tuition charges to anything as high as £12,000. Mr Helferty told a crowded Mandela Hall, “We can’t stand idly by” as politicians set about implementing Browne’s plans for a free market education system.

Proposing the motion in appreciation of the recent Stuart review was NUS-USI Deputy President, Lorcan Mullen, and students were given the opportunity to speak on and in favour of the motion. No one present at the meeting opposed the motion. Speaking on the motion in Mandela Hall was last year’s Green Party European election candidate and former QUB student, Stephen Agnew. Agnew described Browne’s suggestion to raise the fees cap as a policy driven by ideology and not necessity and, emphasising the power of devolution in Northern Ireland, called upon local politicians at Stormont to oppose the Browne review.

Before leaving Mandela Hall to make their way to the gates of Queen’s, students in attendance were asked to raise their student cards to vote on the motion, a motion which was clearly carried; only one abstained. Adhering to health and safety policy, students were then split into various groups and made their way out of the building.

Hundreds of students lined outside the gates of Queen’s University and along the length of the Students’ Union raising ‘Down with Browne’ and other similar placards in the air, chanting, among other things, “Freeze fees – yes please.” Politicians and representatives from the Alliance, QUB Greens, SDLP and Socialist Party lent their support to the protest, and a statement was read out from Independent MLA Dawn Purvis, as well as statements from individual representatives of Sinn Féin and the DUP who were unable to attend.

For over an hour students were continuously joined by more protesters throughout the proceedings, all adamant in their fight against the Browne proposals. A question and answer session with MLAs was expected to take place in the Space area of the SU but did not materialise due to commitments at Stormont. NUS-USI President Helferty and SU President Gareth McGreevy told students they were not willing to stand by and watch the Browne proposals implemented and vowed to challenge elected representatives to justify any increase to tuition fees.