Two years later: New student protest to hit London
A new mass student protest will hit central London this week, two years after riots led to fierce clashes with police.
Organisers expect 10,000 people to attend the march, which will widen its focus from tuition fees to address the hardships faced by students during austerity.
Frontline: Eyewitness account of the parliament riot
The tuition fee protests in 2010 led to the occupation of Tory HQ on Milbank, pitched battles outside parliament and an attack on a car carrying Prince Charles.
It also saw the police accused of heavy-handed tactics after they pre-empted trouble by 'kettling' students for hours in freezing temperatures.
The anger from those demonstrations stemmed from Liberal Democrat involvement in the passing of tuition fee legislation, but organisers have incorporated a broader statement this time, under the slogan 'Educate, Employ, Empower'.
The protest, which will start near Embankment and pass by parliament before ending in a rally at Kennington park, is being organised by the National Union of Students (NUS).
The union has had a difficult relationship with the movement it claims to lead recently, especially after the former president condemned some of those students involved in fighting with the police.
During one march near parliament it appeared to have become an afterthought, as a rally in Westminster was dwarfed by non-official action up Whitehall.
Officials say they have worked with the police to prevent trouble for months in the build-up to the march, but it is unclear how in touch the union is with student activists.
