Thousands of students gathered today in a day-long demonstration in central London, in a last-ditch attempt to defend their right to higher education, while waiting for MPs’ tuition fees votes.
Young protesters from Brighton, Bristol, Leeds, Nottingham, Liverpool, Oxford, Sheffield and Manchester travelled by coach to join the demonstration.
Police attempting to control student protest in London have resorted to controversial "kettling" techniques to contain the demonstrators' anger.
The protesters marched through Trafalgar Square and headed to Buckingham Palace before converging near Parliament later today, as MPs voted to increase university tuition fees to £9,000 per year, by a majority of 21.
The protest, which was not coordinated by a central body, was chaotic and flared into violence, as several agitators and police officers were injured.
The siege of the treasury is over now, a police charge has pushed back protestors, but it is still difficult to say if the demonstration is drawing to a close. Parliament Square is a mess and anything that can be smashed is a focus of attention.
But Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who branded university tuition fee protesters 'dreamers', said that fee increases were the best possible choice, given the economic crisis.
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