London: British students held a third day of
protests on Tuesday over plans to triple university tuition fees,
with police urging them to avoid the violence that marked
earlier demonstrations.
School and university students braved snow in London for
a rally in Trafalgar Square against the decision to increase
university fees to 9,000 pounds (USD 14,000) a year as part of
government deficit-cutting measures.
Rows of police officers lined up near the Houses of
Parliament, blocking a group of several hundred demonstrators
who tried to approach.
The crowd appeared smaller than at two protests earlier
this month, as the first snow of the year fell on London.
Rallies and sit-ins were scheduled in university towns
across the country .
Previous protests drew thousands, and saw groups of
students storm the building housing Conservative Party
headquarters and attack a police van.
Students have accused the police of a heavy-handed
response to isolated violence, after officers corralled
protesters for several hours in the cold last week, a
controversial practice known as ``kettling.``
PTI
