Michael Chessum released
ULU President Michael Chessum was arrested at lunchtime yesterday as he tried to enter ULU headquarters on Malet Street. He was released in the evening after nine hours in custody.
It is believed that the arrest was related to a protest at Senate House earlier this week.
A 200-strong crowd of students and supporters, including drummers, had gathered outside Holborn Police Station to demand his release.
The conditions of his bail prevent Mr Chessum from taking part in any protest within half a mile of any university campus, a restriction some students have branded as “ridiculous”.
Mr Chessum helped organize the “Save ULU” protest held Wednesday lunchtime. A few hundred students demonstrated outside the ULU building on Malet Street before marching on Senate House, the university administration building, where they attempted to break through a police line around the building.
The heavily-policed protest then moved to the area in front of SOAS where scuffles broke out between protesters and police. The protest permit allowed only for a static demonstration.
Campaigners to prevent the unilateral shutdown of ULU, which represents 120,000 students across London, have described the arrest as “an attack on the right to protest” and an attempt by police to intimidate campaigning students. They vowed to fight on against the university management decision.
Philippa Wilkinson
