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W W W . T H E F O U N D E R . C O . U K
ULU Controversy Continues as President Arrested
Not yet in handcuffs: ULU President, Michael Chessum addresses the crowds prior to his arrest
BY ROSE WALKER FEATURES EDITOR
On Thursday 14th November the University of London Union President Michael Chessum was arrested and held for 8 hours at Holborn police station. According to witnesses, Mr Chessum was intercepted by several police officers outside the ULU building on Malet Street in Bloomsbury whilst on his way back from a meeting with University of London management. The arrest was made following a demonstration he had organised on Wednesday 13th November in central London, against the planned closure of ULU. In May, the University of London’s collegiate council decided that ULU – Europe’s largest student union – should be closed from next year. The proposals, detailed in the Founder’s final issue of the last academic year, would mean the union would be disbanded and its Bloomsbury headquarters and student services put under the management of the college. That decision has sparked fierce
opposition from ULU, led by Mr Chessum and the Vice-President Daniel Cooper. In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said a 24-year-old man had been arrested under Section 11 of the Public Order Act, which covers the requirement for “advance notice of public processions”. The Met’s spokesman said that police officers at the demonstration at ULU on 13th November had “attempted to engage with event organisers, who had said there was no procession route planned”. But there was then a “procession down towards Senate House [the administrative centre of the University of London], where there was a clear intention by those present to breach security at Senate House and enter the premises and disrupt normal activity at the venue”, the spokesman said. Officers “acted to support the security of the venue” and protesters were
“not permitted to enter”, he added. Following Mr Chessum’s arrest, ULU released a statement. “The arrest follows a similar incident in July, during which an activist was arrested for allegedly chalking slogans in support of a campaign for sick pay, holiday pay and pensions for University of London workers. This is a clear attack on the right to protest. It is a transparent and shameful attempt to intimidate students from demonstrating against the actions of university management.” The National Campaign Against Fees & Cuts (NCAFC), of which Mr Chessum and Mr Cooper are prominent members, also released a statement following the arrest. “NCAFC wishes to reiterate its full support to Michael Chessum and the campaign to defend ULU. At this time of police repression and the withering of our democratic rights it is vital that as students we stand firm. We demand the right to protest when, where and how
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we see fit. We demand the right to move freely through our campuses. We demand the right to organise autonomously, free from management interference.” The statement made by ULU called for a demonstration outside the police station where Mr Chessum was being held, from 16:30 onwards. The request was answered, and between 60 and 100 University of London students and staff attended the protest. 18 police officers were reportedly deployed to the area, but the protest remained peaceful. Mr Chessum was not charged and was released at around 8:30pm on the following bail conditions: ‘Not to engage in protest on any University Campus nor within half a mile boundary of any University campus.’ On Twitter, Mr Chessum’s solicitor Greg Foxsmith stated ‘Client bailed with absurd and onerous bail condition. Can be removed at court.’
HL