BREAKING NEWS: University takes legal action against future protests

UPDATE 13:00 – There will be a court hearing at 2pm at West Bar today over the possession order. Members of the SU will be attending in order to oppose the order. Among the defendants are Development Officer Sam Neagus, Welfare Officer Becca Barnes and President of the Students’ Union Ally Buckle.

UPDATE 16:45 – The possession order has been GRANTED!!

The University of Sheffield has taken out a possession order over it’s buildings in order to give them freedom to evict protestors who don’t play by the rules.

a handful of the places on campus that will have restrictions placed on them by the order

The e-mail, sent at 6:30pm, states that “we have a duty to make sure we are as prepared as possible to keep any future issues to a minimum, and fully in line with the position we’ve agreed with the Students’ Union that we entirely respect the right of individuals to protest”.

Images like this could be a thing of the past

“That is why we have today taken out a possession order which covers our entire University estate. This order will allow the University to respond quickly and effectively to any future occupations.”

Areas expected to be covered by the order

The possession order, which will cover every building across the University campus, comes after today’s occupation of the Arts Tower by the Revolutionary Socialists and Autonomous Students’ Network.

“We appreciate that some of you will have been affected by the closure of the Arts Tower today, which was caused by a group of protesters occupying the building. To ensure the safety of our students and staff, we had no choice but to close the building for the day.”

regulations on the discipline and conduct of students

The Occupation began at  8pm on Monday evening. Student activists entered the university building with the intention of bringing the tuesday’s proceedings to a halt and preventing students and staff from entering the building. The listed building continued to be occupied until 5:25pm today, when the groups left of their own accord.

The order, if carried through, will place heavy restrictions on the actions of protesters in future. All those wishing to protest will have to apply for permission, and the restrictions can be enforced on any small-scale campaign or petitioning.

“The defendants are likely to argue that these proceedings involve issues under the Human Rights Act 1998”

A similar order was taken out in 2011 in response to a similar occupation of the Arts Tower by students activists. This was however repealed following a student outcry.