Students ‘aggressive and intimidatory’, says university vice-chancellor criticised for obtaining injunction banning demonstrations
Professor Sir Adrian Smith of the University of London said the final straw had been when students occupying his office and administrative building closed down the fire escape
Students ‘aggressive and intimidatory’, says university vice-chancellor criticised for obtaining injunction banning demonstrations
Show all 2Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
![Head shot of Andrew Feinberg](https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/support-us/andrew-feinberg.png)
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
The university vice-chancellor who has been criticised for obtaining an injunction banning student demonstrations has accused protesters of adopting “aggressive and intimidatory” tactics.
In his first interview since the injunction was granted last week, Professor Sir Adrian Smith, vice-chancellor of the University of London, told The Independent that in more than “40 years of academic life” he had never been “involved in anything like this”.
He said the final straw had been when students occupying his office and administrative building closed down the fire escape – which was a safety risk for staff.
“There is a gang – only a minority – who actually want to be aggressive and intimidatory. It’s been really dangerous,” he said. “They barricaded the corridor and closed down the fire escape. There were masked people climbing up to the balcony, trying to get through the windows. It was a situation where we instantly seemed under siege. The atmosphere has fundamentally changed in recent times. There is a sea-change in the level of aggression.”
The origins of the dispute go back to a review carried out on the future of ULU (the University of London Union) – which concluded that it should be closed.
Professor Smith argued that ULU had become an anachronism, as the 18 colleges it caters for now have their own student unions. This left ULU with a mainly political campaigning role; Professor Smith said there was concern among colleges that they were having to pay for the sabbaticals of union officers. “To say we were denying the students a democratic voice, that’s just gibberish,” he said.
The protests also concerned the wages of cleaning and catering staff. Last week the University of London’s headquarters was also the focal point for a demonstration in support of the “cops off campuses” campaign.
In a letter to staff and students last week, Professor Smith wrote: “No one has a problem with peaceful, lawful student protests. The problem isn’t the principle of protest: it’s the methods currently being deployed, which I challenge anyone to consider peaceful when they view the protesters’ own videos.”
Students have claimed that any violent reaction has been as a result of the violence shown by the police on demonstrations.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments