9/12/2010 The Day of the Vote

This is a post of mine originally on my Facebook, so that others can view it.

9/12/2010 – The Day of the Vote

by Aaron Kiely on Friday, 10 December 2010 at 04:40

Firstly, I have to state that I am a member of Labour Party, a candidate in the upcoming local elections, a Committee member of the NUS Black Students’ Campaign and an elected representative of Kent Students’ Union; I would never act in a way to damage the reputation of any of these organisations as I am proud to contribute and participate in them and I am conscious that at this protest I represent all the students who elected me locally, nationally as well as fellow residents in my local Labour Party.

Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP



What I witnessed and experienced at Parliament Square was absolutely horrific, and the levels of police brutality and indiscriminate violence were made all the more shocking due to the the fact that a very large proportion of those who attended the march from Malet Street to outside Parliament were young, either Further Education students or school students, and a very visible and large number were Black students.

The protest started absolutely peacefully, and I joined the march at Trafalgar Square and made the short journey to Parliament at around 1:30pm with other Kent students. I made my way to the front of the demonstration and as students were pushing to make their way closer to Parliament, made sure that students that wanted to move to the back were allowed to do so, as well as making sure that people were not being hurt in the push. I think it is important that we demonstrate as close as possible to Parliament as we can, as MPs were in the Palace and hopefully would’ve been able to hear our chants calling for them to not betray students and future generations by voting for the removal of the current cap in favour of variable fees of up to £9,000 a year. The atmosphere was wholly positive, with impressively creatively placards, chants and a real strength of diversity in the Trade Union and Student Union banners, from the CWU, to Unite to LSE, to SOAS Unison to Manchester Met and many others.

After over an hour, after discussing with other friends at the demonstration it was thought that we could pop out for a bite to eat and come back to whatever action is taking place. So at around 2:30 to 3:00pm we went to leave, only to find that we had been ‘kettled’ in by the police and exits were sealed. SOAS University students quickly erected a ‘Kettle Cafe’ where those trapped could get some food and drink. I made it very clear to students from Kent who were going to attend the day that there was a strong likelihood that the police would use the kettling ‘tactic’, and they freely choose to come. For any of those who do not know what kettling is – it is basically where the riot police surround a group of protesters to ‘control the situation’. What is conveniently forgotten in the official description is that kettling often lasts for hours, with some school students having to endure the freezing cold for 9 hours just for being there. It is a collective form of punishment, where those who are kettled, no matter how peaceful or well intentioned are denied access to basic freedoms such as food, water, shelter, the freedom to move as well as access to clean sanitation. This tactic, has come under increased scrutiny, yet it is continually used, when I would argue it acts as a catalyst to anger people and does nothing to ‘control the situation’, instead provoking and setting up an ‘us and them’ scenario between the police and protesters.

We were denied access to the above mentioned rights, despite the police and media portraying that they were available for a combined total of 8 hours on a chilly Winter’s day. A tarpaulin was set up in the form of a cubicle so that men (not women) could urinate on the grass, turning it in to a slurry of mud and piss. I could find no portaloos, nowhere to access food and water and the riot police were not responding to requests for these requirements to be met as well as the basic request to leave the area. It is no wonder why those there were agitated and furious with their treatment by the authorities. Calmly requesting something from a riot police officer is often as productive as drawing blood from a stone as you are deliberately ignored, and sometimes, officers will communicate that they cannot hear what you are saying, despite being able to have conversations freely with nearby officers.

Eventually, the exits were fully manned by riot police, with police on horses charging young students and full riot gear in use, meaning truncheons (a blunt club weapon), specialist helmets and riot shields. I witnessed an officer repeatedly hitting a ‘Robin Hood Tax’ hardhat with his riot shield off the head of a protester and then proceeding to hit him, without the protection of the hardhat once more for good measure. I also witnessed a young, smartly-dressed woman, who could be no older than 16 being hit with a truncheon to the head, to much shock. She posed absolutely no threat, was not being verbally abusive, nor physically threatening, yet she was smashed across the head indiscriminately, her head drooped and she was taken back in to the crowd to be treated by St. John’s Ambulance staff. At one point, many protesters broke through and made it to Whitehall, it looked like we could get out as well and during the several attempts of the crowd to push, with hands in the air the police beat us back violently holding riot shields horizontally and hitting at the crowd. It was at this point I was first hit on the back with a truncheon, having been pushed to the front with my back turned. I did not react, did not say one word of abuse and maintained my composure. The second and third time I was hit with a truncheon across my forearm and shoulder was when I stumbled across a young man whose head had just been cracked open and was gushing with blood. His light-coloured hoody was distinctive against the vivid red of the blood coming from him. Again, I kept my composure and was then kicked with no reason, with my hands in the air, silent, and the kick was so hard that it has left an imprint of the sole of the shoe on my leg. This not only happened to me, but many others, young people as well.

The logical question to ask is ‘how did you get to the front’? ‘Why risk being hit and injured?’ – these are absolutely valid points but I will say this: I am not prepared to stand to the side and watch young students, many from ethnic minorities and particularly young women who perhaps might have of been pushed to the front having their heads cracked open. I would rather it was me than ever having to live with the thought that someone else was seriously injured when I could have taken the hit much better. Seeing young students, who have been kettled, treated inhumanely and stained by their own blood is an appalling sight and something I would never wish anyone to see as it is hugely distressing. The people at that demonstration could’ve been my 19 year old sister protesting against her EMA being cut, or my 15 year old cousin who dreamed of going to University but could never pay off their £9,000 a year fees. I firmly believe that older demonstrators have a duty to protect those who we have encouraged and helped mobilise to protests and there were many more experienced activists helping younger people out. The vast and overwhelming majority of people were armed with words, not weapons, not truncheons, not riot shields and definitely not heavy duty protective clothing and specialist helmets; the brutality of the police at this demonstration has to be exposed for what it is, absolutely despicable.

During the coming hours, students set fire to placards for warmth, shared food and drink as none had been provided and later, SOAS students kindly sprayed disinfectant on my small cut from the riot shield. At around 8:30pm, after much back and forth and conflicting information from non-riot police who had entered the kettle, it was established that we would be released soon. All throughout this, I was polite to every single police officer and I saw none of the ordinary unarmed police officers subjected to any harassment or intimidation. Eventually we were allowed to leave the kettle, escorted across Westminster Bridge following a line of police who were slowly moving back until we stopped at the end of the bridge. We were anticipating that we would then be allowed to disperse in three separate directions, perhaps through a bottleneck, however were treated with silence for an hour. We had been stopped in our tracks. In the cold, dark night, thousands of protesters were held on Westminster Bridge, with no access to toilets or water and were packed like sardines with barely any space to move. It was then announced by the police that there were not enough riot police to handle the departure of those who had been trying to leave for hours. Eventually another hour later at 10:55 pm we were allowed out, in single-file, surrounded by riot police and told that Section 60 was in action and that we should move continuously towards Waterloo Station.

After hours upon hours of being kettled, we were finally free to make our way home. However, it is important to remember that many of us had been booked on coaches which had fixed departure times, so many had to make their own way homes – potentially leaving young members vulnerable as we edge towards midnight in the capital. If students had been allowed to leave, as the vast majority had requested or queued up to do, then this situation could have been entirely avoidable. I wrote this to explain how I experienced the demonstration and to condemn the police-handling of the event as excessive, brutal and unnecessary – kettling has to be stopped as it a violation of basic human rights and does nothing to control the situation, only inflame it.

I have to give a special thanks to Kent Union staff and leadership who managed to get the coach to wait, although it ultimately couldn’t wait enough, as well as their support on Twitter, text messages and calls. It is to be praised and they handled it all very professionally and I thank them for doing what they could in a very difficult situation.

I would also like to thank Zain Sardar, Jonathan Buckner and Andy Hewett who I spent most of the time in the kettle with for their company and support. I would also like to especially thank Maham Hashmi-Khan, from one Black Students’ Committee member to another, as she was exemplary in helping to remove hazards, helping students leave, giving advice and standing witness at the front to the violence inflicted on the demonstrators by the police as well as making sure students were as safe as she could. And a further thanks to all the retweets, all of the messages of support and the calls from so many different people – it made a lot of difference knowing people were working on the outside to pressure the police and spread awareness of what they were doing to us.

The people on that demonstration were not violent or extremist thugs intent on hurting others, the vast majority were peaceful and youthful, yet angry at what the Coalition government are doing. What kind of democracy do we live in, when young people are brutalised by the police outside of Parliament, while inside a government votes through symbolically violent acts which amount to vandalism of hopes and dreams? I will always stand side-by-side with those suffering such huge injustices and I invite you all to come to the next demonstration, which I am sure will be about saving EMA. As although we have lost the vote on the raising of the cap, we are in this struggle for the long haul, and it will take all of us to contribute in whatever way we can, through lobbying, industrial action, vigils, demonstrations and occupations because we have an obligation to leave a better legacy to the next generation, not a worse one.

Aaron Kiely

Kent Union Ordinary Council Member

NUS Black Students’ Campaign Committee (Open Place)

Member of the University of Kent Occupation

repost: Kent Union and UCU defend Biosciences

This is a repost of an article I wrote about the fight at the University of Kent that I was proudly involved in, alongside many other students.

The Biosciences department at the University of Kent was under threat of eleven compulsory redundancies, around one-third of the staff. The University management claimed that research was poor within the department, despite the quality of teaching being ranked amongst the best by students. The University decided to ‘restructure’ the department and sack staff, some who had been in the department for up to twenty-two years in favour of employing research-only ‘high-fliers’ who would bring in better RAE scores.

After an historic extraordinary meeting of the UCU, over 130 members of the union unanimously voted to ballot for strike action or action short of a strike if the university planned to go ahead with the redundancies. Students were involved from the beginning and were invited to the meeting and links were formed at the earliest opportunity.

Several open meetings later, student groups on the campus united together and led grassroots action and planning to defend lecturers. It was crucial to garner the support of the average student and explain to them that defending the biosciences department was a matter of defending the quality of education and teaching standards. Student Union policy was passed to oppose the redundancies, mandating the Union to take a vastly differently stance to that of 2006 when it actively campaigned against the UCU during a pay dispute – pressure from Biosciences students and education activists ensured that such a course would be unthinkable in the present.

During an initial planning meeting of 20 students, the group debated strategy and unanimously agreed to plan a demonstration on a UCAS open-day against the job losses in solidarity with the lecturers. It was also agreed to send notice of such a demonstration to the deputy vice-chancellor stating that press would be invited. A week later, the student’s union sabbatical team also agreed to follow such a route and promised to make their resources available i.e. leaflet-printing, e-mails to all students and website updates. Over 350 students were confirmed to attend, with societies and individuals pledging to come out in number to be vocal in their opposition to the job cuts with local press such as the BBC and newspapers planning on creating coverage.

The day before the planned protest however, a joint statement from the UCU and University management was issued saying that strike action had been called off and all threats of compulsory redundancies had been lifted as well as plans for a redundancy avoidancy agreement; a clear and decisive victory for students and staff. Even at the University of Kent, noted in recent years for its political conservatism, students can lead important struggles, defend their education and most importantly come out victorious. The UCU issued a thank you to all students and noted that it was only possible because they had strong student support.

Here’s to a reinvigorated student movement at Kent, and long may it continue!

… and why I joined the Labour party.

This is a continuation of a previous post entitled: The story of why I joined the Greens, and why I left them..

Let me start by saying that it broke my heart when Labour lost the general election. The thought of my younger family members being subjected to years of Conservative rule, cuts to services and general contempt was too much to bear and when the result for Thurrock was announced the day after and to hear that the Thatcherite Conservative won by 92 votes was even more dreadful. Thurrock has been Labour for 60 out of 65 years since the constituency was formed and to lose every Labour voice in Parliament from Essex means that there is now no representative who cares about a deeply divided county with extremities from footballer’s wives mansions to sprawling council estates with massive deprivation.

Let me also make it clear that I am not with other socialists and those on the left who think that it’s a good thing that the Labour party loses seats and elections, because we would be in a worse position if not for even a New Labour government. The Tories would have of done even worse, with none of the good things i.e. winter-fuel payments, minimum wage, school building, large increase in public spending, equality legislation and free bus travel for pensioners. So I fervently argue that there is a big difference between the Conservatives and Labour and do not go along with the now ironic “they’re all the same” #Labservative tag that the LibDems tried to use (pull the other one.. )

I guess that I could have of joined the revolutionary left in their electoral attempts and argue for TUSC. I look at the derisory result from TUSC and previous initiative no2eu, and see that there is no clamour for such organisations and many act as spoiler organisations and some have played at electoral politics to their doom – e.g. the no2eu vote in the North-West where votes to Labour or the Greens would mean that we would not have Griffin representing the UK within the European Union. Even more than that, I have always been a democratic socialist and not a revolutionary socialist, so fronts like TUSC were never likely to appeal.

Furthermore, I don’t want to be on the fringes, I want to engage positively and constructively with and within the labour movement and that means forging a stronger relationship with the Labour party. How can I help the poorest and the most vulnerable from the political sidelines? I have always believed that socialists should seek election and effectively represent the interests of the powerless within society. Does that mean I suddenly start supporting PFI, war and cuts to welfare..? No it doesn’t. And I will join other voices within Labour and the vast majority on the ground who oppose such measures in reclaiming the agenda from the right of the party and arguing for real Labour values again.

Labour is MORE than just New Labour. It is more than the cabal who have been running the show for the past 13 years .. it is, and must be, now more than ever, a movement for social change. For equality, peace and justice – economic, social and environmental.

Just recently I went to my 2^nd ever Thurrock Council meeting. With nervous anticipation I awaited the response from the Labour portfolio holder for education to one of the Tory councillours representing my ward, who argued that academies and grammar schools were good things and that ‘gifted and talented’ pupils should be cherrypicked at the expense of the er.. not so talented? Anyway, I winced a little as I imagined some New Labour response supporting academies and academic selection, instead what I got was a solid commitment to the principle of comprehensive education, a reminder of the devastation caused by the grammar school system and selection before comprehensives and that a move towards only helping the ‘gifted’ at the expense of every other child was not an option. I wanted to cheer, but didn’t want to embarrass the two councillours who drove me there (I did clap though soon after at another brilliant thing the Labour leader said)!

It was that moment that I realised how important the Labour party was, it was my shield, an imperfect one I know, but something with which myself and others can get behind to deflect the coming attacks from the Coalition. We are at a crossroads and I want to be with the trade unions and the grassroots in making sure there is a fight for social justice and that there is a voice for the millions of people who do not have one.

That is why I joined the Labour party.

The story of why I joined the Greens, and why I left them..

This is something quite personal and I would like to have it out there, as record of why I left the Green Party.

I was a member of the Greens for 2 years,joining the party after being disgusted with the election of Nick Clegg as leader of the Liberal Democrats. I have always been firmly on the left since early in my first year of college and because of the various things that New Labour had done I felt that while it was my natural home, I could not join a party which had invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, let the gap between the rich and poor grow and treated migrants so badly. The cuddly LibDems under Charles Kennedy seemed a viable option back then and were quite enticing with lots of (genuine rhetoric I believe) from Charles Kennedy about them being the mainstream party of the centre-left. Of course this changed, once the Orange Book (neoliberal) wing of the Liberal Democrats took power in the form of Clegg. I was actually only ever a paid member of the Liberal Democrats for around five months and as soon as Menzies Campbell handed over to Clegg, I was out of there and looking for a new home.

I first found the Greens mainly because I was reminded of my politics classmate from college who stated that they were a party of the left and that she would vote for them. Her family were migrants from the Ukraine and while she was frank about the realities of the country, she still believed in equality and the aspirations of the left. I soon started to read up about them, they had a great website with all of their democratically decided policy which provided a framework for my arguments about inequality and the need for radical change. I would recommend that people do take a look at the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society (MfSS as it is known in the party) as I do believe that is where we need to move towards if we are to have a chance of creating a socially sustainable society.

Nevertheless, obviously I do have my reasons why I left and I will state them.

The Greens despite fielding a record number of candidates were squeezed heavily with terrible results on the night of the election illustrated to me that they are not a party that people are turning to en masse. Despite the election of the brilliant Caroline Lucas in Brighton Pavilion, who will do a fantastic job representing her constituents, I did think ‘what is the point’? I remember seeing a website which clocked up the amount lost in deposits by the BNP in the elections and at the same time wondered how much the Greens had lost as well. I was also fiercely opposed to standing a candidate in Barking and Dagenham, in contrast to other party members who thought it would be a good thing and give people an alternative to Margaret Hodge. Well the chair of the Greens stood and received 312 votes, a waste of time as the party has no local base and people were deluded in arguing that the Greens were a serious alternative for people who wished to reject both Hodge and Griffin. You have a fascist in a serious attempt to win a parliamentary seat, fresh from victory at the European elections, and that decision to stand showed naivety in my opinion to the threat of the BNP.

In terms of organisation, in Thurrock, my constituency, and indeed across South-West Essex there is no functioning Green Party and the husk that was left in Basildon, endorsed the incumbent Labour and Co-Operative MP, Angela Smith (who sadly lost her seat). There was nothing to get me involved and while I live one train station out of zone 6 from London, it always felt that there was nothing to do in my local area and I felt increasingly distant from the Greens. I imagine it must be great if you are in Brighton, Lewisham or Norwich, but it feels like a waste of time anywhere else and is hugely demoralising.

One of the Green manifesto points was to bring in state funding of political parties, I disagree strongly and the Unions, the largest democratic organisations and the voice of organised working-class people should be able to fund a party to represent their interests. This threat to the Labour link and the severing of money from the Unions, who formed the Labour party, would be a major setback in my opinion as Unions would be likely to lose influence in parliament which can only be a bad thing.

The vibe I got from the Greens in general was of it being an ‘intellectual academic’ party with few people from working-class backgrounds, and I think that while there are excellent people in the Greens, I do feel like Labour is more in touch with the concerns of people and that the people in it have more in common with my background. I do not believe that the environment comes before people like some Greens seem to and, I often felt that sometimes the party could come across dispassionately and only caring about the environment. I was also deeply uncomfortable when party members would bang on about population in some awful right-wing and authoritarian way. I even heard calls to not pay benefits to people who have more than 2 children which I just found hugely depressing. Though let it be made clear that this kind of thought was often challenged (often by GreenLeft members), but despite being a hero of mine, I have heard Caroline Lucas on several occasions mention population as an ‘issue’ which I find disturbing.

To be honest I think their manifesto is fantastic and is something that I would want a Labour government to implement for so many reasons, though I sadly do not think that Greens stand a chance of implemented it in the foreseeable future, whereas Labour are the force which can work towards putting those policies in place as it stands a chance of forming government. Labour represents the hopes and aspirations of millions and will be crucial in the upcoming fight against the Coalition. Working-class people are more vulnerable when the Labour party is at its weakest and I hope that all sections of the party can unite and start putting forward a positive alternative, similar to that of the Greens, which can win support and re-election.

Please go on to read my next blog post.

“.. and why I joined the Labour party.”