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Boiling point: Riot police battle to take control after thousands of student protesters shut down Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in mass demonstration over education budget cuts
Daily Mail,
23 May, 2014
23 May, 2014
Chaos
broke out in the streets across Australia this afternoon as police
clashed with thousands of students protesting the Abbott goverment's
changes to tertiary education funding announced in the recent federal
budget.
A
massive contingent of police officers struggled to contain the masses
as they chanted crude slogans including 'bull****, come off it, our
education is not for profit,' reported The Age.
Melbourne
saw the most tense conflict, however demonstrations in Sydney,
Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane also exploded in violence and
chaos.
Scroll down for video
Thousands of student protesters took to the streets in cities across the country to protest cuts to federal government spending on higher education
Police scuffled with protesters in Sydney's CBD as they protested the Abbott government's budget cuts
On for young and old: A girl in a school uniform was carried away from the crowd by police in Melbourne
Victorian
police arrested 13 people in Melbourne who will receive court summons
'in due course' for offences relating to obstructing roadways and
footpaths.
NSW
police confirmed at least two arrests were made in Sydney, with a
20-year-old man remaining in police custody and likely to be charged
for allegedly lighting a flare.
The
protests caused traffic chaos for commuters around the country, with
the Melbourne CBD all but shut down and a northbound lane closed on
Sydney's George Street at peak hour.
Just
after 5pm, all roads through the city had re-opened. The Transport
Management Centre said southbound buses using George Street were
delayed up to 15 minutes, and northbound buses on Elizabeth Street
were delayed up to 10 minutes.
Greens
senator Sarah Hanson-Young was spotted with senate hopeful Adam Bandt
holding a sign that read 'A first degree shouldn't cost a second
mortgagee.'
Students are protesting the deregulation of university fees, which they argue could make popular courses at the best universities available to the rich, rather than to the deserving
Two people were arrested in Sydney yesterday after thousands of people took to Sydney's streets to protest the cuts
Nabbed: A student protesting cuts to the education budget is moved on by police in the Sydney CBD
In
an email sent by UTS vice chancellor Ross Milbourne to students, it
was announced any assignment due on Wednesday would be given a
one-day extension.
'Rest
assured that UTS will not penalise any student who miss class because
they choose to participate in the rally,' he wrote.
The
demonstrations dominated Sky News coverage shortly after 4pm, with
vision beamed out of the Victorian capital of students being carried
away by riot police and others stubbornly forming barriers on the
city's famous tram tracks.
This protester was arrested by riot squad police as he marched through Sydney streets protesting budget cuts to higher education
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney said that the deregulation of university fees could lead to a class war with poorer students locked out of university
Surrounded: Young protesters blocked trams from operating in Melbourne
Nine
News reported that the protesters 'charged' at officers, while a
number of roads in the Melbourne CBD had to be closed to traffic.
Dozens
of officers on horseback were on scene to keep the rowdy mob under
control, but visibly stuggled.
Prime
minister Tony Abbott was forced to cancel a scheduled visit to Deakin
University due to the demonstrations.
Bummer: A protester is moved on from Spring Street, near the Victorian parliament house
Pandemonium: Protesters took to the tram tracks in Melbourne in a display against the Abbott budget
Unruly mob: Sydney's George street was overflowing with placard-carrying youths
Vocal: Many protesters used megaphones to get their message across
Clash: The protesters became violent with police in many instances
Face off: The rallies were a huge strain on police resources
Stampede: Student protesters take hold of the Melbourne streets on Wednesday
A
Sydney man arrested for picking up an already-lit flare was 'bundled
to the ground by about six police officers,' AAP reported.
Literally
hundreds of police officers wearing fluoro vests packed the streets
around
Melbourne's
parliament house as the youths marched against cuts to the education
budget.
In
Queensland, similar scenes led to the shutting down of chunks of the
Brisbane CBD. In Canberra, furious young men and women banged on the
windows of government buildings.
.
Red army: Some people took to social media to label the protesters 'socialists'
Man and beast: Police patrolling on horseback tried to keep the crowds under control
Picket line: Hundreds of police officers watched over the protesters around Melbourne parliament house
But
it was in Melbourne that the chaos reached its highest pitch as
university and TAFE students were carried away from the crowd by the
dozen.
'And
again Melbourne proves itself as the protest capital of Australia.
Imagine if they had something worthwhile to protest about!' Tweeted
Randall Gillespie.
Some
demonstrators seemed to forget what they were aiming to achieve,
prompting Channel 9 reporter Jayne Azzopardi to Tweet: 'And now we
actually have protesters protesting that they want to be able to
protest. Seriously.'
Tens
of thousands of protesters around the country were estimated to have
joined in the displays.
.
Pandemonium: The protests virtually shut down massive chunks of Australia's biggest cities
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