Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance released this statement on May 22.
***
The struggle against education cuts has exploded onto the national stage in the lead up to and following the budget announcement by the federal Coalition government, a budget set to massively increase student debt.
With a series of political stunts and protests against individual Liberal Party politicians, there has been a serious political response to these fee increases and cuts, not just by students, but by all young people.
It is these sorts of stunts and actions that have been raising consciousness around the threat to students and they need to continue, forcing the Coalition to run with their tails between their legs as increasingly empowered students chase them from the campuses.
As well as this, students supported staff at the University of Technology in Sydney, when the National Tertiary Education Union called a strike in support of a sacked staff member.
It is vital that students and staff, as well as members of the broader community, support the demands of university workers to defend our education system from Coalition attacks.
We are also encouraged to see workers from the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union joining staff and students on the picket.
This was followed by an explosion of anger at the May 21 National Day of Action, called by the National Union of Students. Thousands of students marched in the big cities.
Clashes with police ensued in Sydney and Melbourne when police violently disrupted peaceful demonstrators, arresting at least 13 people in Melbourne and two people in Sydney.
We condemn the police attacks on peaceful protests and student activists and demand that all students arrested be released and the charges dropped.
Students need to stand strong against attacks, from the parliament or on the streets, if we are going to stop the cuts and win free education for all.
The National Day of Action is the start of a lesson for the Coalition government. Students are teaching the regime that they are not to be messed with and they will not take attacks on their living standards lightly.
We need to take this struggle into the universities and into the suburbs, reach out to involve all young people who have been affected by these attacks and build democratic coalitions uniting all students against the attacks on our education.