Sussex students stand firm at university occupation

On Monday, students occupied a conference suite in Bramber House at the university following a large demonstration and hundreds more students stormed the building yesterday in support of campus workers who are balloting for industrial action.

Up to 70 are thought to still be there with fellow students bringing food, water and blankets overnight.

The university management has closed the third floor of the building while the demonstrators are there.

The protest was the climax to a demonstration organised by the Stop the Cuts campaign against management plans to cut 115 jobs in a bid to save £5 million in 2010-11.

Student activist and occupier Sarah Wrack addressed the crowd, saying: "We have had no sleep or access to toilets, we have occupied this room and we will stay to make management listen.

"They will face occupations and demonstrations every day until they stop the cuts."

Fellow student Claire Laker Mansfield urged everyone in the student community to get involved with the Stop the Cuts campaign.

"It's essential that this protest is well attended to show management that the student community supports the occupation and calls on them to meet the demands of the occupiers and the Stop the Cuts campaign," she said.

Socialist Students national organiser Matt Dobson said: "The situation for students is bad enough already.

"Along with the threat of higher fees, these cuts could affect every student on every course. Teaching and learning resources will be decimated, campus buildings will not be maintained and many 'non-profitable' courses will be axed.

"Recent protests at Sussex and other universities show the anger of students and staff. This will only increase as the implications of these cuts become known.

"The need for a united struggle against cuts would be clearer to the mass of students if student unions nationally and locally had shown they were willing to organise a fightback."

A university spokeswoman said: "We are making alternate arrangements where events in the conference suite might have had to be rearranged.

"Our overriding concern remains the safety of students, staff and visitors to the campus and the good running of normal university activities.

"We want this disruptive action to end as swiftly as possible."