Crackdown on 'Sussex Six' student protesters (From The Argus)

"Councillor Bill Randall, the Green Party convenor on the city council, has written to Prof Farthing asking for an explanation on why the six students were suspended."

Says it all really about liberal political parties. Basically they condone anarchy. Sussex University is a haven for immature left wingers. One has to wonder how many religious fanatics peddling their wares are on the same campus too!

I think students should face consequences for their actions on anti social behaviour in the community by being expelled from uni, instead of picking on the innocent students and taking away their choice of housing under the pretence of studentification and the new ridiculous unworkable legislation forcing landlords to apply for planning permission to rent to 3 or more persons unrelated students low paid professionals.

Regardless of whether you think the students are right or wrong, the right to protest is clearly being denied. If criminal offences have taken place, then use the law. The use of a 'rule' by the vice-chancellor that allowed him to suspend a student “without assigning a reason”, and which effectively denies an education to someone (who remember is now having to pay for it) is scandalous. The rise of 'sub judicial' punishments in this country is chilling!

scthetruth wrote:
"Councillor Bill Randall, the Green Party convenor on the city council, has written to Prof Farthing asking for an explanation on why the six students were suspended." Says it all really about liberal political parties. Basically they condone anarchy. Sussex University is a haven for immature left wingers. One has to wonder how many religious fanatics peddling their wares are on the same campus too!

Your own comments say alot more about what right-wing authoritarians would have in store for us if they ever got the chance. A simple explanation of why an action has been taken is such anathema to you? Wonder what you think about such liberal luxuries as jury trials and "innocent until proven guilty"?

scthetruth wrote:
"Councillor Bill Randall, the Green Party convenor on the city council, has written to Prof Farthing asking for an explanation on why the six students were suspended."

Says it all really about liberal political parties. Basically they condone anarchy. Sussex University is a haven for immature left wingers. One has to wonder how many religious fanatics peddling their wares are on the same campus too!

I am a student at Sussex university and think the protest was perhaps not the right way of trying to reach a compromise, although I do realise students frustrations at the huge amount of money we are paying and not feeling that it is being spent effectively on our education. I also think the way it was handled by management was harsh too, so I see both sides of the situation and think a different strategy needs to be used instead of an us vs management attitude.

This comment however "One has to wonder how many religious fanatics peddling their wares are on the same campus too!" made me really angry, as it is completely irrelevent to the whole story. What has protesting got to do with religious groups on campus. All the religious groups are very inclusive and accepting of other religions on campus and open to collaborative projects, based on similarities in beliefs instead of differences. I am not religious but run a society that encourages us to explore and educate ourselves about different cultures, beliefs and practises such as meditation and so am in contact with many of the other groups too.

Comments like this are completely unjustified, outdated and stereotypical. Attacking people who are absolutely nothing to do with this news story. If you have comments on the news story that is fine, but kindly do not use it as a way of randomly attacking groups just for the sake of it, just based on personal negative attitudes you may hold.

I hope this makes you realise that there are plenty of students out there who are not "immature", just trying to get a good education so that we can get careers that will help us make a difference in the world and give us a chance to meet people from all walks of life, no matter what their race or beliefs.

Let's face it, there is going to be a need for cuts. Oh, and if people think disruptive protest is OK they're seriously out of order.

sparky_2004 wrote:
Regardless of whether you think the students are right or wrong, the right to protest is clearly being denied. If criminal offences have taken place, then use the law. The use of a 'rule' by the vice-chancellor that allowed him to suspend a student “without assigning a reason”, and which effectively denies an education to someone (who remember is now having to pay for it) is scandalous. The rise of 'sub judicial' punishments in this country is chilling!

The right to protest is NOT being denied. They can protest wherever they want - as long as it's not on campus.
Hardly a 'sub judicial punishment'. Any employer or college could legally do exactly the same if they wished.

Andy R wrote:

scthetruth wrote: "Councillor Bill Randall, the Green Party convenor on the city council, has written to Prof Farthing asking for an explanation on why the six students were suspended." Says it all really about liberal political parties. Basically they condone anarchy. Sussex University is a haven for immature left wingers. One has to wonder how many religious fanatics peddling their wares are on the same campus too!

Your own comments say alot more about what right-wing authoritarians would have in store for us if they ever got the chance. A simple explanation of why an action has been taken is such anathema to you? Wonder what you think about such liberal luxuries as jury trials and "innocent until proven guilty"?

Hear, hear - those comments are best suited to those who march up and down in boots and black shirts - you should hang your head in shame! And further, you really should learn the correct use of the word liberal when considering politics (as opposed, as I guess, to Liberal).

Andy R wrote:

scthetruth wrote:
"Councillor Bill Randall, the Green Party convenor on the city council, has written to Prof Farthing asking for an explanation on why the six students were suspended." Says it all really about liberal political parties. Basically they condone anarchy. Sussex University is a haven for immature left wingers. One has to wonder how many religious fanatics peddling their wares are on the same campus too!

Your own comments say alot more about what right-wing authoritarians would have in store for us if they ever got the chance. A simple explanation of why an action has been taken is such anathema to you? Wonder what you think about such liberal luxuries as jury trials and "innocent until proven guilty"?

That's a bit rich considering what we have now-the most spied on nation in Europe caused by a lunatic left wing government. CCTV almost on every street corner in British town and city centres. No week goes by without another new law to socially engineer Britain for Labour's own devices. And implying that trial by jury is some kind of liberal edict is farcical.

scthetruth wrote:
"Councillor Bill Randall, the Green Party convenor on the city council, has written to Prof Farthing asking for an explanation on why the six students were suspended." Says it all really about liberal political parties. Basically they condone anarchy. Sussex University is a haven for immature left wingers. One has to wonder how many religious fanatics peddling their wares are on the same campus too!

Gosh you sound like a right fanatic! The Police should be keeping an eye on all you dangerous brainwashed Daily Mail readers.
These six students are the real sensible ones compared to many other students who spend their time getting drunk. Good job some of them still understand the words "people power"

Good! Serves them right - they are at uni to study, not to promote their political beliefs and disrupt things for genuine students.

Bennn wrote:

scthetruth wrote: "Councillor Bill Randall, the Green Party convenor on the city council, has written to Prof Farthing asking for an explanation on why the six students were suspended." Says it all really about liberal political parties. Basically they condone anarchy. Sussex University is a haven for immature left wingers. One has to wonder how many religious fanatics peddling their wares are on the same campus too!

Gosh you sound like a right fanatic! The Police should be keeping an eye on all you dangerous brainwashed Daily Mail readers. These six students are the real sensible ones compared to many other students who spend their time getting drunk. Good job some of them still understand the words "people power"

I don't waste my money or time on reading partial newspapers. I look at the facts and draw my own conclusions unlike you left wing liberal lackies.

The word 'cuts' is used blindly but it makes no real sense as Sussex have had a new Medical School, new Business School and have had ten years of unprecedented expansion. This is a sensible adjustment around courses that are not unique and undersubscribed. The protesting students, far from supporting better education for themselves, are supporting bad and outdated courses.

Another example of the erosion of freedom of speech. One recalls similar events occuring in Nazi Germany and indeed every Communist country where political oppression is rife.

University is supposed to be a place where the student can expand their mind and question the norm. Clearly they are being used as a political weapon to condition the thoughts and behavior of the would-be work force.

I commend the students involved and would urge them to contest the Universities decision in the High Court.

"All the religious groups are very inclusive and accepting of other religions on campus and open to collaborative projects, based on similarities in beliefs instead of differences"

Sussex is one of the UK Universities under continous scrutiny by Scotland Yard and Sussex Police because of terrorist related material being distributed on and off the campus. So don't give us the love and peace rubbish.

Nyberg wrote:

sparky_2004 wrote:
Regardless of whether you think the students are right or wrong, the right to protest is clearly being denied. If criminal offences have taken place, then use the law. The use of a 'rule' by the vice-chancellor that allowed him to suspend a student “without assigning a reason”, and which effectively denies an education to someone (who remember is now having to pay for it) is scandalous. The rise of 'sub judicial' punishments in this country is chilling!

The right to protest is NOT being denied. They can protest wherever they want - as long as it's not on campus.
Hardly a 'sub judicial punishment'. Any employer or college could legally do exactly the same if they wished.

Funny, but that's exactly the argument that was used to ban unauthorised protests outside parliament - yeah, you can protest, but not where the issue is. Therefore in effect you are denying that right. And what happens if said suspended students organise a protest elsewhere - we'd soon have the same authoritarian comments about 'normal' people being inconvenienced.

But thanks for agreeing about the widespread use...If you could tell me what offences these students have been convicted of, then fine - ban them from the premises. However since you can't, they have been presumed guilty, and that is why it's sub-judicial...

Of course many can't see that until it affects them directly!

140258 wrote:
Another example of the erosion of freedom of speech. One recalls similar events occuring in Nazi Germany and indeed every Communist country where political oppression is rife.

University is supposed to be a place where the student can expand their mind and question the norm. Clearly they are being used as a political weapon to condition the thoughts and behavior of the would-be work force.

I commend the students involved and would urge them to contest the Universities decision in the High Court.

They can say what they want, when they want. Just not where they want. It's hardly erosion of freedom of speech is it?

If you have a problem with the university, then voice it through more appropriate channels, not by being an obstructive annoyance a) to other students, and b) to members of staff.

And you urge them to contest the decision in the High Court? That can come out of your pocket, not mine or any vaguely sane person's thanks.

Sussex is notoriously left-wing. No matter what they think, they do not run the university.

Anyone to the right of Karl Marx is getting rather bored.

scthetruth wrote:

Bennn wrote:

scthetruth wrote: "Councillor Bill Randall, the Green Party convenor on the city council, has written to Prof Farthing asking for an explanation on why the six students were suspended." Says it all really about liberal political parties. Basically they condone anarchy. Sussex University is a haven for immature left wingers. One has to wonder how many religious fanatics peddling their wares are on the same campus too!

Gosh you sound like a right fanatic! The Police should be keeping an eye on all you dangerous brainwashed Daily Mail readers. These six students are the real sensible ones compared to many other students who spend their time getting drunk. Good job some of them still understand the words "people power"

I don't waste my money or time on reading partial newspapers. I look at the facts and draw my own conclusions unlike you left wing liberal lackies.

In your world you have to be either left wing or right wing don't you? Have you ever heard of the word "balanced"? What about if you don't believe in Socialism or Capitalism?
And what "facts" are you talking about? It's a good thing you don't believe what you read in the newspapers but don't forget that we are being lied to by politicians, scientists, teachers, policemen... There are no real facts out there anymore...

Granny wrote:
Good! Serves them right - they are at uni to study, not to promote their political beliefs and disrupt things for genuine students.

But they are fighting for what they feel is right in regards to protecting their on going education are they not?
.
It's a cliché I know...but, you may not agree with what they are protesting for, but you should respect their right to do so.

High Court = establishment toadies. I would ignore their "order" and tell the unelected judges to sod off.

scthetruth wrote:

Andy R wrote:

scthetruth wrote: "Councillor Bill Randall, the Green Party convenor on the city council, has written to Prof Farthing asking for an explanation on why the six students were suspended." Says it all really about liberal political parties. Basically they condone anarchy. Sussex University is a haven for immature left wingers. One has to wonder how many religious fanatics peddling their wares are on the same campus too!

Your own comments say alot more about what right-wing authoritarians would have in store for us if they ever got the chance. A simple explanation of why an action has been taken is such anathema to you? Wonder what you think about such liberal luxuries as jury trials and "innocent until proven guilty"?

That's a bit rich considering what we have now-the most spied on nation in Europe caused by a lunatic left wing government. CCTV almost on every street corner in British town and city centres. No week goes by without another new law to socially engineer Britain for Labour's own devices. And implying that trial by jury is some kind of liberal edict is farcical.

No idea why you think I'd support NuLab. You're quite right in what you say about them. They're far more up your ideological street than mine, mate!

Granny wrote:
Good! Serves them right - they are at uni to study, not to promote their political beliefs and disrupt things for genuine students.

As far as I understand they were sticking up for the 100 staff who are set to lose their jobs. well done to the students for supporting the people who work at the university.

Shame on you granny and your ilk who want to turn the country into a banna republic for the rich by bailing out the rich and slashing the public sector.

I pay my taxes for the public sector not to bail out badly managed bankers and arms companies

I am all for the right to demonstrate, unfortunately storming buildings tends to be considered a step too far

You will be pleased to hear the travellers are back on the land along the Ditchling road. Similar thing really.

stan bailey wrote:
You will be pleased to hear the travellers are back on the land along the Ditchling road. Similar thing really.

Which sort, Stan? The steal-a-caravan variety (http://news.bbc.co.
uk/1/hi/england/wilt
shire/8555576.stm), or the hippy mob?

bibble wrote:

stan bailey wrote:
You will be pleased to hear the travellers are back on the land along the Ditchling road. Similar thing really.

Which sort, Stan? The steal-a-caravan variety (http://news.bbc.co.

uk/1/hi/england/wilt

shire/8555576.stm), or the hippy mob?

The do you want you drive tarmaced sort

MarcoPolo wrote:
The word 'cuts' is used blindly but it makes no real sense as Sussex have had a new Medical School, new Business School and have had ten years of unprecedented expansion. This is a sensible adjustment around courses that are not unique and undersubscribed. The protesting students, far from supporting better education for themselves, are supporting bad and outdated courses.

Bad and outdated courses, really?

Life Sciences is one of the departments being most harshly hit by the cuts, with about a third of the staff set to lose their jobs. This department includes Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Molecular Medicine, and Chemistry to name but a few. I hardly think that anyone could say that these courses are bad or outdated.

I am horrified that a University has to invoke two such draconian measures!
Surely the students have the right to a defence - even the most extreme political regimes allow that!
And to forbid future protests as well! This really does sound like a right wing banana republic that is about to be overthrown? I dont normally write to Newspapers but am truly shocked by this story.
Can it be real? Its not April 1st yet is it?! Aren't other readers worried about this? Is this the same VC that earns more than the prime minister? He seems to have more power than the real PM!

As a part time mature student at Sussex, it seems that many of the comments on this website are more than ill-informed (especially scthe truth). If he would care to find out the facts (that he claims only to pay attention to), it seems that the Vice Chancellor claimed there was a hostage situation in the building to be able to justify calling the riot police. A complete over-reaction and a waste of tax-payers money. Staff who were there know what really happened. Surely the the students should know what they have been suspended for? It is indeed a very worrying development.

Bwbachod wrote:

MarcoPolo wrote:
The word 'cuts' is used blindly but it makes no real sense as Sussex have had a new Medical School, new Business School and have had ten years of unprecedented expansion. This is a sensible adjustment around courses that are not unique and undersubscribed. The protesting students, far from supporting better education for themselves, are supporting bad and outdated courses.

Bad and outdated courses, really?

Life Sciences is one of the departments being most harshly hit by the cuts, with about a third of the staff set to lose their jobs. This department includes Biology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Molecular Medicine, and Chemistry to name but a few. I hardly think that anyone could say that these courses are bad or outdated.

OK, now state the student to staff ratios for each of these subjects, along with the costs. You'll see what I mean.

"Normal" Students ?
These presumably are the ones who wake me up at 4.30 am on their way
back to their disgusting doss houses
vomitng over my car en passant.

MarcoPolo wrote:
The word 'cuts' is used blindly but it makes no real sense as Sussex have had a new Medical School, new Business School and have had ten years of unprecedented expansion. This is a sensible adjustment around courses that are not unique and undersubscribed. The protesting students, far from supporting better education for themselves, are supporting bad and outdated courses.

What you feel is a bad and outdated course is your own opinion, the problem is Sussex management is and has for years made a concerted effort to bypass the system of consultation which gives Students and Academics (the people who actually know about the courses) a voice in decisions. http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=G5ar1KjLK
ME this explains how) Effectively a team of overpaid managers are making decisions on which are 'bad and outdated' courses when they have no qualification to do so, subsequently they tend to make terrible decisions, in 2005 they attempted to shut down Chemistry at Sussex which has 2 Nobel laureate's and last year tried to shut down our renowned linguistics department which brought open criticism from Noam Chomsky (considered the father of modern linguistics). The recent proposals of cuts or 'adjustment' as you call it, clearly has very little support from Sussex University (students, academics and staff) we are not happy with job losses, course cuts, service cuts, and lack of consultation. We believe students and tutors should decide what 'better' education is and not people who get paid obscene amounts of money to slash jobs and exclude students. As for student/staff ratios, one of the things that makes top universities so good is this high ratio, and as a history student I can secure you in the knowledge that the cost of running our early modern courses is very low, the wage of a tutor and the cost to heat a seminar room is about it.

I am a student at Sussex University and I greatly admire what is being done by the 'Sussex Six' and others. Being a student here and being directly affected by the current situation, I feel that is is 100% necessary after listening to the worries of my tutors and fellow students. At first the protests were completely peaceful, and fell upon deaf ears; this latest escalation is a response to this, and to be fair it could have been a whole lot worse. All of you need to understand that if you also lived on this campus university, you would probably see the need for it too. However, it seems that a fair number of you are far too influenced by the failure of Brown's left-wing government (perhaps, as one commented, due to reading far too much of a particular newspaper...) to look beyond Sussex's reputation and towards the students campaigning for a better education and to the outrageously bad Michael Farthing. Is it not our right to protest for what was allegedly true in the university prospectuses? As a first year, nobody told me that it would be like this.

As a member of staff working in the building when the students forced their way in, I just want to say that this was not a peaceful protest. Although many of the students involved were well intentioned and not abusive, there were a number who were using intimidation and force. Some of my colleagues were barricaded in and unable to get out - the students used chains and padlocks to lock inner doors. Drawers and desks were rifled through, and a lot of money was wasted through the work that was suspended. Thanks to the students for their passion, but I'm afraid it was misdirected in this case. I hope there do continue to be protests, but peaceful ones, and not forceful occupations involving innocent staff.

I 'ate stoodents! Y downt vay go get a job lite us proper foke. I meen, 'f vay at oonivercitee 2 studee, vay shood bee studeein an not prowtestin like they bee. an'eavan va studeein iz pointluss, thez shood werk, like wez do - well, i sayz werk, I meen doin nuthin becoz we ain't got no skills worth doin nomore wot wit va chinese doin jobz cheapa an that, but thatz not tha point. Theer scrowngin of us decant folk and ours tax muney (I don't 'av a job but Iz want me money bak - all 0.000000025p from every stuudunt in va cuntry - I'll akcept chek or a pennee cut in tu a fractzion.)

Vis guvunmunt iz crap an' all. Wots they dun for us. thez like all guvunmunts. Hitla may 'av had sum bad idears but he nuw wot ta do.