Like in many other parts of the UK, North East Walkout will take place on Wednesday 24th November. The walkout is in protest at the government’s spending cuts. We reproduce here a press release, because some of the organisers have been unable to publicise the event themselves after schools threatened those involved with severe punishments.
NORTH EAST WALK OUT
When?
Wednesday 24th November 2010, from 11am
Who?
There will be in the region of 1,400 young people taking part from across the north-east. Institutions include:
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Newcastle University
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Northumbria University
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Ashington College
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Gateshead College
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Longbenton College
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Monkwearmouth College
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Newcastle College
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Gosforth High School
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Heaton Manor School
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King Edwards School
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Lord Lawson School
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Prudhoe High School
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Queen Elizabeth High School
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Royal Grammer School
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St Marys Catholic Comprehensive School
What’s happening?
11.00 Students walk out and travel to Grey’s Monument
12.00 Protest at Grey’s Monument in Newcastle
1.30 “Teach-in” at Newcastle University. Lecturers will give interested groups independent talks on politics and economics.
The next step will be a one day strike with lecturers and teachers involved. It is hoped this would become a national movement, not just regional.
The Message
We are students from schools and universities across the North East of England. We range from GCSE students to A-Level students to university students. Amongst us are students who will be pushed out of higher education with the scrapping of EMA, students who will be excluded from university due to increased tuition fees and students whose parents will be forced to work longer and harder in order to try and help us pay for the proposed crippling debt.
However this fight is not just about us, while we stand together fighting against education cuts from this coalition of millionaires, we equally stand shoulder to shoulder with the poor, the disabled, the elderly, the disadvantaged and the vulnerable, all who will be attacked by a government of millionaires who are acting in the interests of the upper classes and their friends; the bankers.
Therefore, as we walk-out and protest on Wednesday, our fight is not just for students, it is for every single one of our brothers and sisters across the nation who are under attack, and it extends to those in Europe, who are also fighting back against this mythical 'austerity'. This 'crisis' could be solved in a year by taxing the rich with higher rates of income tax and a wealth tax for the wealthiest 2% of our population. It could be solved by pulling troops out of Afghanistan and scrapping trident. It could be solved by introducing a proper 'Robin Hood tax' on the bankers who caused this 'crisis'. We entirely reject the notion that those who benefitted the least from the boom years will be the ones who are made to pay for a banking collapse caused by the greed of the wealthy.