From the Academy of Refusal in Vienna: Solidarity with UC Santa Cruz

Via Indybay

Video: NYC Students celebrate UC Occupations

At night on 19 Nov, approximately 75 (non)students from the New School, NYU, CUNY, and other university-factories in NYC marched from Washington to Union Squares and back in a gesture of solidarity with the wave of occupations that has swept the University of California system in response to the 32% tuition hike, budget cuts, and the reproduction of students as consumer-commodities ready to work for spectacle-subjects. The march saw crazy hooligans hanging banners off of buildings; masked rogues scattering trashcans, newspaper boxes and plastic barricades across Fifth Avenue; sexy dancing throughout the streets an attempted occupation of a Parsons art party as well as the good ol’ 65 5th ave. Unfortunately, the fun ended when cops managed to pierce the motley mob, arresting two after beating them on the sidewalk.

The two arrested were taken to the 6th Precint in the West Village, where much of the crowd ended up at the end of the night, dancing and singing out front, distributing pamphlets and glow sticks, and remaining until the two walked free.

Photos from NYC solidarity march

Stories at NYC IMC / NYU News / New School Free Press / More photos

At night on 19 Nov., approximately 75 (non)students from the New School, NYU, CUNY, and other university-factories in NYC marched from Washington to Union Squares and back in a gesture of solidarity with the wave of occupations that has swept the University of California system in response to the 32% tuition hike, budget cuts, and the reproduction of students as consumer-commodities ready to work for spectacle-subjects. The march saw crazy hooligans hanging banners off of buildings; masked rogues scattering trashcans, newspaper boxes and plastic barricades across Fifth Avenue; sexy dancing throughout the streets an attempted occupation of a Parsons art party as well as the good ol’ 65 5th ave. Unfortunately, the fun ended when cops managed to pierce the motley mob, arresting two after beating them on the sidewalk. This was caught on film: watch here

The two arrested were taken to the 6th Precint in the West Village, where much of the crowd ended up at the end of the night, dancing and singing out front, distributing pamphlets and glow sticks, and remaining until the two walked free.

Until Next Time…

DEMAND NOTHING
OCCUPY EVERYTHING

Video: NYC March in Solidarity with UC Occupations!

Students and friends take the streets, dropping banners off of statues and buildings, crashing New School art parties and decorating the city in solidarity with all the UC occupations!!!

A Plea from the Undead

From Occupy California:

PLEASE TAKE THE BELOW STATEMENT AND READ IT TO YOUR CLASSES

From the graveyard of history comes a plea from the undead… BE REALISTIC, DEMAND THE IMPOSSIBLE!!!

I sincerely hope that all of you know about the walkout and the student occupation that took place the whole first week of school. The struggle continues, and this message is brought to you by those students who were a part of the occupation as well as those who have joined them in their fight.

One of the most bewildering observations made from the inside of these events, especially the student occupation, was the realization of how symbolically important they were for activists all around the world- within hours a solidarity rally was held in Union Square in New York; letters of solidarity have come groups from all over California, all over the US, as well from as far away as South Africa, Croatia, the UK, Greece, and Italy; The UK Guardian ran an editorial several days ago on the emergence of new student movements that began its story with the UCSC occupation- and here, right in front of us, how unimportant they were for those who passed by and read our banners, looking upon us as if we were no different than some student group in the quad advertising our fraternity of sorority.

New School Solidarity Statement with UC Santa Cruz

To the occupiers of UCSC,

We fellow workers and students from New York City stand in solidarity with those at UC Santa Cruz who have occupied their university against the cuts and austerity measures forced on them by capital and its bureaucrats.

Public services are some of the first gains to be rescinded when capital desperately thrashes out in an effort to valorize itself. As workers have been crowded out of their jobs, and as the failure of various financial machinations to alleviate this crisis has become clear, more have been heading back to school.  They have been burying their heads under even more debt with the hope of riding out the job scarcity and making themselves more attractive to employers.

As California’s universities reduce their enrollment by tens of thousands and simultaneously increase student fees and tuition, they are giving us a clear message: there is no escape from this turbulence.

So lets meet it head on.

UC Santa Cruz Occupied!

http://occupyca.wordpress.com/

http://wewanteverything.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/communique-from-an-absent-future/

We seek to push the university struggle to its limits.
Though we denounce the privatization of the university and its authoritarian system of governance, we do not seek structural reforms.  We demand not a free university but a free society.  A free university in the midst of a capitalist society is like a reading room in a prison; it serves only as a distraction from the misery of daily life. Instead we seek to channel the anger of the dispossessed students and workers into a declaration of war.

Solidarity message from La Sapienza University in Rome, Italy.

We, members of the Italian student movement who have been continuously mobilized since last autumn against the cycles of university reform, against an unstable job market and for a new student ‘welfare’, have passionately followed your action at the New School on April 10. We’ve been following your struggle for the resignation of President Kerry, guilty in our eyes of creating a corporate university administration who blatantly disregards the interests of the students and faculty, the core of the university. With the careful attention we pay to protest movements in other countries, we bared witness to the police repression and brutality that the university administration unleashed on its students. As we are all part of world-wide student struggles, we want to express our solidarity with your movement and all arrestees.

A few days beforehand, during the new school occupation in new york, performed to stand up against Bob Kerrey’s lack of financial and political transparency. The students of New York clashed with the violence ‘police’ reaction which militarized the campus and removed the occupiers by force. More than 20 students were put under arrest, and now are laden with judicial charges which in our eyes are heavy-handed.

Statement of Solidarity from the Comisión Internacional de la CAE in Barcelona

Dear Students of the New School in Exile,

I am writing from the Barcelona student movement against the implementation of the Bologna Process, representing the International Commission of the CAE (Student Assembly Coordinator for the assemblies of the four Public Universities of Barcelona), to demonstrate our solidarity with you following the brutal repression of your building occupation.

The sheer quantity of police and police vehicles, not to mention their methods of intimidation, has shocked and disgusted us. However, we must bear in mind that an action of this scale, surreal and out of proportion in contrast to the peacefully protesting students inside the building, shows the institutions’ true face. They are alarmed by the nature of our demands, by our organisation, by the connections we are making and the knowledge we are sharing. They repress us with their base brutality, the last cries of a dying beast, we fight back with the powerful creativity of our movements. They will always be on the defense, because we are the people and we are mobilising against their failing system.

Rally at the New School Against Police Brutality, Thurs 6pm

Join New School students, faculty and supporters in a rally at 6pm this Thursday @ 55 W. 13th St. to denounce police violence towards New School students, as well as the unchecked power of the New School President and senior administration. See this New York Times article for reports and videos of police actions on 14th street last Friday, April 10th.

The rally will feature student speakers directly impacted by police violence, a chance to refute administration and police lies about student violence, and more details about the occupation and next steps.

The rally will be held outside of 55 W. 13th street (corner of 6th avenue) at 6pm Thursday April 16th.

For more details visit www.newschoolinexile.com

“We Write from Paris”: a letter of solidarity from Nancy Fraser and Eli Zaretsky

Dear friends and colleagues,

We write from Paris, a city where protests, demonstrations, and yes, even building occupations are frequent occurrences; a city whose traditions of creative, robust forms of political expression we admire and one whose
inhabitants regularly manifest what seems to us a healthy dose of self-respect in objecting publicly and forcefully to demeaning and unjust conditions. Having breathed this atmosphere for many months now, we view recent events at the New School in a different light from that reflected in communications we have so far received.

Granted we are far away. And undoubtedly we miss many nuances. Nevertheless, having carefully read all the documents sent to us (student manifestoes, presidential memos, and communiqués from deans, provosts, trustees and individual professors), we can see no justification for the Administration’’s resort to police force against the occupiers of 65 Fifth Avenue. Furthermore, we are against proposals to condemn both sides. On the contrary, we urge the faculty to condemn the administration’’s action forthwith and to support the right of the demonstrators to their protest, regardless of our agreement or disagreement with their views and goals.

And What About France? Students Block Traffic, Hold Administrators Hostage, Barricade City

Up go the barricades as universities voice anger at Sarkozy

French Students Hold Administrators Hostage, Block Traffic In Paris

French universities in chaos over Sarkozy reforms

French Student Protesters Disrupt Paris’s Academic Core and Seize Presidents’ Offices Elsewhere

Student Protesters Take Radical Measures in France

Being president of a French university is a tough job these days. After the violent assault on Rennes 2 University on April 6, universities in Strasbourg and Orleans were also besieged by angry students on April 7.

In Rennes, west of France, the president of the university, Marc Gontard, had to flee from his office when more than 100 students broke the windows and entered the building. “The president’s office has been attacked. We are up in the stairs waiting for external help,” said Gontard in a phone call to French press agency AFP. Following this, close to 150 students in the eastern city of Strasbourg forced their way into the general council room, preventing 30 directors of research and study courses from leaving, according to media reports. At the same time, in the central city of Orleans 60 students entered the office of University President Gérald Guillaumet, keeping him prisoner for the afternoon. Finally, in Paris a student mob sequestrated the head of the organization in charge of granting scholarships and university rooms. Police had to use force to free the manager.