Today we have a treat in store – guest writers! (Not because we’re too lazy to write our own accounts you understand…: p) 10.11.10 saw UCL students march down from the campus past Trafalgar Square to join the masses outside of Whitehall – here’s what they had to say:
"As is often the case with plans, our one for the demo didn't quite come together. We had intended to meet in the UCL quad at around ten o'clock but instead met at eleven – after everyone else had long since left.
We attempted to catch up with the main protest and walked towards the intended start point of the protest – Horseguards Avenue. We didn't realise at the time that we wouldn't stand a chance of getting there, due to the 40000 other people also there.
As we approached Trafalgar Square, we began to hear chanting. The sight that greeted us was that of a river of students, marching unbroken from Strand onto Whitehall. Peckish, we were content to sit at the base of Nelson's Column and observe. And eat lunch.
We sat there for more than 40 minutes, as a seemingly never-ending train of students walked by. Eventually the procession reached a standstill; one can only assume that there was no more space for students between Horseguards Avenue and Trafalgar Square.
Not wanting to be standing stationary for ages, we elected to take the scenic route, crossing the river and walking parallel to the demo route, rejoining it by the Houses of Parliament, once it was in full swing. There we met an old friend (who featured in a previous instalment of this blog) and continued on the march, which by now had reached a snail's pace. The atmosphere was defiant and angry, but never violent or tense.
The march sped up somewhat as we approached the Millbank tower, which was the focus of the less savoury behaviour involved with the demo. The courtyard was filled with protesters, most of them no different to those on the rest of the march. the <vandals> had long ago gained entry to the building, although we couldn't see how. We hung around there for a while, but decided to leave as people began emptying fire extinguishers from the roof and setting off flares. We couldn't have timed it much better; as we left, we saw more riot police preparing to enter the building."
So there you have it : )
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