NUS president, Liam Burns, is encouraging students to air their grievances in a unified fashion by hitting the streets of London this November in a protest.The protest is to express the anger students are experiencing as a result of rising fees and reduced employment.
The protest is the first national protest to be called for since November 2010, and is set to take place on the 21st November.
In a video to NUS members, Burns announced "You've got a lot to be angry about. You've had your education systematically attacked across the board by the coalition. And even if you get to the other end, what have you got to look forward to?
Youth unemployment is at an all-time high, getting on the property ladder is next to impossible and we don't even have the safety net of pensions to look forward to any more. In a year in which there are no votes in Parliament and no legislation coming before politicians, it's about time we started setting the agenda."
The message of the 2010 protests were overshadowed as the protests became violent. Little sympathy could be felt for the protesters as the news was awash with images of missiles being thrown, fires and smashed windows.60 arrests were made and several hospitalisations occurred.
The NUS categorically condemned the violence, stating that the protests had been hijacked by a small minority.
The little progress the government has made in solving the issue of high rates of graduate unemployment is likely to rile up substantial numbers of students.The Higher Education Statistics Agency has revealed that the number of UK graduates who are only able to find employment in jobs such as cleaning or bar work has almost doubled in five years. More than 20,000 graduates were still out of work six months after finishing university.
Mona, GRB Journalist
