should be stopped, May I suggest that your supportOver the last fortnight, pickets at Essex University have bitten their lips with frustration and anger as squads of up to a hundred police have escorted small convoys of lorries into the welcoming hands of worker who refuses to unload the The pickets have been fighting against the Essex University authorities and the bully boys in blue for five long months. During the course of that struggle one hundred and five have been arrested and charged. thirty five disciplined, three (inched. ing two IMG members) expelled. But they are still fighting back. They refuse to be crushed, despite the activities of the police.
CONSPIRACY
Superintendent Markhum, head of the Regional Special Patrol Group and ex-star student at the University, has been seen regularly conferring with his old mate Albert Stoman, the University's Vice Chancelior. The police wito arrested the 105 students now facing trial were drawn from as the authorities. The job of any campus of those arrested for more than tWO scab trucks is immediately threatened, bave become a permanent feature of far away as South London, in what was obviously a Scotland YardThe Special Branch, in addition to their more blood-thirsty activities. have shown great interest in Essex students recently, interviewing some ment, hours. Special Brunch detectives -the landscane on carous There is abundant evidence of the police and college authority's conspiracy at Essex. At one point Sloman was trapped in his office by occupying students, demanding that he Intervene to free arrested students. The police were up to that time opposing bail After a while a communique came from the police that bail would not he opposed so long as the political situation on the cumpus did not deteriorate any further!
Why will 105 students he in the dock on Monday? Why is Markham on the campus with hundreds of his men every time Sloman beckons?
The State is trying to smash the ability of students to take direct action -actions such as the picket of the Essex students, the massive occupation in Oxford last year of occupation which defied the Kent University authorities. The actual issues on which these strugster were waged were various: in Essex for reductions in food and accommoda tion prices, against the cutbacks, for the NUS Grants Campaign; in Oxford for a Students Union: in Kent, in defence of a victimised student. The next students in the firing line will be those at the Universities and Poly technics holding out on rent strike in support of the NUS Grants Claim, which is at present waiting for a response from the Labour GovernDIRECT ACTION One thing binds all chese struggles together. The students fighting them have realised that negotiations through participation and represen lation are useless and have turned to mass, mustant action The authorities realise as well, if not better, than the students, that direct action does two vital things. On the one hand, it splits the authorities between those who think that 'the price of peace today is anarchy tomorrow' (Sloman, Essex), and those who buy peace today, the hetter to prepare for tomurrow (Kent University). This paralyses the ability of college authorilies to act, and opens up the way for student victory At the same time, direct action can attruct student support and win work ers" solidarity, on both a national and lonal level, Such support bas not been slow in coming for the Essex struggle Students from other colleges have munned the picket lines through thick and chin. Messuges of support have been sent by the Liverpool, Manchester and Salford Trades Councils, the National Ford Workers" Combine Committee and many other trade