In light of yesterday’s national student protest held at the University of Birmingham, UCU at a national level have released the following statement:

UCU strongly supports the right of students to peaceful protest and welcomes the support of students and their unions for our current industrial action which is aimed at securing fair pay for staff. Universities should respond positively to requests by protesting students and staff for dialogue rather than adopt heavy-handed responses. Universities should recognise that students have a right to protest as long as it is peaceful. We urge protesters to ensure that staff at work during protests are safe and are not unwittingly made to feel intimidated and university authorities not to use such staff as pawns in a wider game.

For further information about the protest, see: http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/police-accused-of-kettling-student-protesters-at-a-national-demonstration-in-birmingham-9095907.html