Student protests

Arrests as protesters stage sit-in on Auckland street

Up to 50 people have been arrested at a protest against changes to student allowances and loans announced in the Budget.

TVNZ,

1 June, 2012

The protest is taking place outside Auckland University's library on Symonds St.

An eyewitness said students were staging a sit-in, with police threatening to arrest anyone who refuses to move.

There are an estimated 80 protesters, with more people watching.

There is a strong police presence of about 15 officers, plus university security. They are encircling the protesters on Symonds St to try to allow buses to get through.

The protesters are waving flags and chanting slogans voicing opposition to funding cuts. 

 

Symonds Street has been closed between Waterloo Quadrant and Wellesley St and a few bus stops have been temporarily relocated with bus diversions in place.

Around 400 people turned up to a protest in the same location last week, blocking one of the busiest streets in the city during rush hour.

The latest protest has been dubbed "Blockade the Budget Part II: Protest Like the Greeks," in response to a comment from Finance Minister Bill English that the protesters "need some Greeks to show them how to do it".

More than 1300 people on Facebook said they planned to attend today's event. The group's Facebook page points to Bill English as a target of the protest.

"Finance Minister Bill English has taunted student protesters who are against the Budget saying 'they need some Greeks to show them how to do it'.

"Let's make him eat his words."

A statement from the protesters say that the campaign "is a call for a stop to the neoliberal attacks on New Zealand's education sector".

"Education should be accessible to everyone and be non-discriminatory; it should never become class based," said the statement.

"Our current Government views education as a business rather than a fundamental right of massive social significance.

"Rather than addressing the issue of debt head-on, the Government is using education as a scapegoat to further delay its own action in regards to the growing inequalities in our education system."

The changes announced in the Budget include increasing the repayment threshold for student loans from 10% to 12% and only allowing students to take allowances if they are in their first four years of study.

The protesters fear the changes will discourage students from low income families from doing long degrees or post-graduate study, therefore restricting occupations in law, medicine or engineering to a privileged few.

Around 400 "Blockade the Budget" protesters blocked Auckland's Symonds St last week, one of the busiest streets in the city.