Protest, disobedience and police brutality

I would sit down and write a long post on my views of the Tuition Fee vote, the protests and the agressive and dangerous mishandling of peacful protestors by the Metropolitan Police, but much more eloquent people have stated their views (which echo mine so well) that it seemed better to collect their writing together instead.

#demo2010: a dispatch from your correspondent on Whitehall: “There’s a war going on…”
Mic Wright (aka @brokenbottleboy) shares a personal, balanced and very emotive view from the frontline of the protest

Violence is unacceptable, but it’s up to the authorities to stem the dangerous cycle
James Firth (@JamesFirth) points out that whilst there will always be a small minority of lawbreakers in mass protests, it is the job of the police and other authorities to show restraint and prevent a downward spiral into riots.

A question of restraint: what prevents police officers from killing protesters?
Media law hero David Allen Green (@davidallengreen aka @JackofKent) also covers the police mishandling of the protests. He then produced an excellent post on the New Statesman about the importance of higher education subsidies in enabling young people form working class backgrounds to reach their personal potential in Degrees and working class culture

The contempt for democracy
Also on the New Statesman, the eloquent and witty Steven Baxter (aka @antonvowl) puts the protests and their handling in the context of a wider social and political malaise.