On that day, I was there with a friend among the protesters, but we were not there to “protest”. We just wanted to do a “documentary homework” that included interviews with students.
Among other questions, I asked students if they believed in this kind of demonstrations, or if they think the rally could affect or change the government's policy regarding spending cuts.
The reason why I chose this question was that personally I did not believe in that kind of protests. But the vast turnout changed my mind.
Even the organisers of the anti-cuts rally were surprised and the police were definitely shocked! But again many people, many students, especially those attending the demonstration did not want it to turn violent, or “that violent”. In fact, for many, the clashes with police, following which fourteen were injured and fifty arrested were not constructive.
The violence seen, especially what everybody saw at the Millbank Tower building, which contained the headquarters of the governing Conservative Party, leading to clashes with police, following which fourteen were injured and fifty arrested, gave a good excuse to British governing politicians and their media to turn the audience's attention towards other aspects of the protest.
Nobody knows exactly if the students who were seen breaking the glasses at the Millbank Tower or throwing a fire extinguisher from the top of the building were connected to the NUS or UCU or other unions, or if they were representative of many students that day, but in my opinion students did not have to let mindless “students” jump into their cause.
On the other hand, the vast protest had a clear message: The demonstration that was not seen for a decade, or as NUS claimed, "the biggest student demonstration in a generation", was only a beginning.
The protest, attended by tens of thousands of students, and followed by other rallies and demonstrations in November, changed my mind. Now, I believe these students CAN force the coalition government change its policy.
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