Turbulent Flight: Protesters gatecrash VC speech at sculpture showing

Student activists gatecrashed the Vice-Chancellor’s unveiling of a new sculpture on campus.

VC Robert Burgess was interrupted by a mob of protesters on Friday as he attempted to make a short speech marking the unveiling of FLIGHT outside the David Wilson Library in front of a small group of about 50 guests.

FLIGHT

It was soon difficult to ignore the growing shouts of protesters who stormed through the university’s campus, making a bee-line for the Vice Chancellor and the guests in front of the library.

Higher education in action

Armed with a megaphone and banners that read “Cops Off Campus, Defend Protest”, Burgess voice was quickly drowned out by their shouts.

He provoked a laugh from the audience when he said: “This is higher education in action.”

They said: “The university should be paying more attention to it’s staff that are struggling to survive, than unveiling expensive statues and joining up with the police to arrest students peacefully protesting.”

One protestor claimed that the university docked striking staff a full day’s pay, when they only picketed for two hours; a move that would be illegal. It remains to be seen whether the claim is true.

Mr.Burgess and the guests awkwardly tried to ignore the commotion, as the protesters began to attract an ever-increasing number of curious students.

Once the area was clear of dignitaries, the students moved to occupy the plinth and cover the sculpture with their banners.

The sculpture was donated to the university by sculptor Helaine Blumenfeld OBE, one of Britain’s leading contemporary sculptors working in marble and bronze.

Professor Burgess said: “The University of Leicester is delighted with Helaine Blumenfeld’s sculpture FLIGHT as an addition to its collection.

“It symbolises aspiration, energy and enthusiasm. It is at the heart of the University and will give pleasure to many people visiting the University’s David Wilson Library.”

Dr Blumenfeld said: “With FLIGHT I wanted to simplify the human form to its absolute essence and to create a sense of the merging of physical and spiritual presence.

“FLIGHT is about reaching upwards, about aspiration, about the existence of a higher realm of being. I am very pleased to have FLIGHT standing at the entrance to the David Wilson Library.”

Cops off campus

Friday’s protest came just one day after a Student Union Council member was arrested during a peaceful protest in solidarity with protesting lecturers and staff.

An official statement from Aaron J Elcock of the Leicester University Socialist Students thanked those who disrupted the unveiling.

It added: “A rally was held today in protest at the police presence on campus and the arrest of a student yesterday. This protest was aptly timed with the unveiling of a statue donated to the university.”

The decision to not pay these valuable staff the wage they deserve is clearly ideologically motivated. Figures made available to The Tab suggest that it would cost the university only £85,000 to increase pay to the level of the living wage.

It ended with a rousing comment to comrades. It said: “If they take out one of us, another will rise in their place. The student movement is fluid, and its ideas and consciousness can never be stopped!”

Aaron was not available for comment at the time as he was out campaigning.

Aaron Elcock called on students to keep up the protest movement…

In a post to the Leicester Socialist Students Facebook Page, members called on the Union Council to take action after a Leicester student was arrested during protests in Birmingham.

The post included a link to the following petition, which has been signed by 12 members of the Student Union Council.