Occupation Demands 11/03/09

[Stop the Cuts]

THE ‘STOP THE CUTS’ DEMANDS FOR THE VCEG OF SUSSEX UNIVERSITY

We, the students of the Stop the Cuts campaign, have assembled in Arts A2, in response to the actions of the management, specifically the arbitrary suspension and exclusion of 6 students by the Vice Chancellor last week. These students were not violent, and the demonstration in no way merited the presence of riot police on campus. There has been a widespread response from both outside and inside the university condemning this action as disproportionate. These students are part of a wider campaign involving hundreds of students and workers, which continues to be against the compulsory redundancies of staff at Sussex, and to defend public services nationally.

In order to leave here today, our demands are:
1. The unconditional reinstatement of the six students who were suspended and excluded last week – the terms outlined in the statement on Sussex Direct today were not good enough.
2. No disciplinary action against anyone in the room.
3. No punishment of non-violent dissent, no criminalisation of any form of non-violent protest, demonstrations or occupations.

Signed,

The students of the Stop the Cuts campaign