University management are seeking to evict the occupiers of the Rootes building, serving them with an injunction without engaging in any negotiations over students’ demands.
The occupation began on Thursday evening following a demonstration of over 1,000 students in protest at the university’s handling of a sit-in on Wednesday, where West Midlands police used CS gas on students and threatened them with a taser.
Management’s conduct is in direct contrast to the reaction of the University of the West of England, where today Vice-Chancellor Steve West visited the campus free education occupation within hours to discuss and negotiate occupiers’ demands.
The Warwick occupation demands include: a call for Vice-Chancellor Nigel Thrift to retract his statement about the alleged assault which has been refuted by witnesses unless he can prove otherwise; to uphold the right to peaceful protest, to support free education, and condemn the unjustified and disproportionate violence used against students.
The demands were democratically decided in the occupation of over 300 students on Thursday evening, following a demonstration of over 1,000 students, the largest in Warwick’s history.
Callum Cant, who is named in the injunction, said: “Management’s attitude, by taking out an injunction and seeking to suppress peaceful protest, shows that they are prepared to spend huge sums of money on legal fees rather than apologise for the disgusting treatment of a peaceful sit-in.”
Deborah Hermanns, from the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, said: “This outrageous move follows similar legal action taken at other universities, including one at Birmingham which was condemned by Amnesty International for breaching human rights. We utterly deplore Warwick management’s decision and will continue to fight for the right to protest
on each and every campus – free from management and police repression.”
Warwick for Free Education 
To the student occupation, Warwick University;
On behalf of FellSwoop Theatre I would like express our solidarity with the occupation. We are a theatre company that met and formed at Warwick University a few years ago and now work together professionally. We were horrified, saddened and angered by the police actions, the VC’s statement and now this injunction. At the same time, your determination to stand up for your right to be safe at your university has been truly inspiring.
This morning we put a public statement on our website at http://bit.ly/1wd4zrT, expressing our concerns about the university that we are associated with, our condemnation of the actions of police and management, and our support for the students protesting such actions.
Please let us know if there is anything we have neglected to mention, and please feel free to share this statement. I have personally already been in touch with the VC’s office demanding his statement be withdrawn; I will now continue that correspondence demanding the injunction be dropped. FellSwoop as a company will also be in contact with the University management.
Let us know if there is anything else we can do to help your cause.
Yours in solidarity,
Ben Osborn
FellSwoop Theatre
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Once again i am totally shocked and horrified by warwick university’s action agaiinst their students..I shall advise all students not to apply there as they show no regard for human rights.
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