Free University campaigners are occupying the Richard Roberts building

Free University of Sheffield campaigners are currently occupying the Richard Roberts building in a protest over tuition fees.

The occupation began last night, and has been carrying on well into today.

The group – a grassroots organisation which campaigns for no fees, no privatisation, and a living wage, are occupying the auditorium in resistance to the current marketization of higher education and the transformation of students into “passive recipients of information for the sake of employability”.

Free University of Sheffield protesters

Protesters range from first-years to Union Officers such as Minesh Parekh, the Student Union’s Education Officer, who has lent his support to the group as he says “we are currently suffering the most severe threats to universities in a generation.”

The activists had not intended for their protest to be a hindrance to lectures. Instead, they had hoped to welcome students to their scheduled lectures in the auditorium. However, the uni has opted to rearrange lectures to other parts of the campus.

Lectures as normal

The activists are encouraging inclusivity by suggesting that fellow students can “come as they please” in their participation of the protest, getting involved in whatever way they feel comfortable. Be it by becoming involved in the occupation or showing up and attending workshops, lectures and debates the group are organising.

Cosy

Nobel Prize winner, Sir Richard Roberts, who the Auditorium has been named after, has offered his support for the activists claiming the group’s goals are not only “laudable, but should be supported in full.”

University security are monitoring the occupation but show no intention of removing the protestors. They have so far found the protest to be “peaceful, quiet, and most importantly safe.”