Why can't people protest, if it is peaceful?

The students have given themselves the bad reputation by their outrageous actions

It is not the fault of the media they act like wild animals

The media is reporting their actions not orchestrating them

There is no bias against the students they have shown their intentions to protest violently

Good question. Lets look at this from another perspective - the tax we pay.

I graduated 9 years ago with a decent engineering degree, and during my employment in that time I've paid nearly £100K in tax, just from my salary pay alone. I started my degree in 1997 so didn't have to pay tuition fees, however the governement has recouped that money (in tax) many times over.

Salary tax - say 30% average worker

VAT - 20% come January 1st 2011

80%+ tax on fuel

Council tax

National insurance

Cigs, alcohol, etc etc

Considering all the other forms of tax revenue, I've probably paid close to £200K to the treasury in the last 9 years. If I need transportation, then I need to buy a car. If I need electricity/gas - thats extra. Same with food and everything else. Anything we need, we have to pay for - even prescriptions.

So my question is, where did the £200 grand go?

I'll tell you where it went - it was squandered like everything else. The £40K from my degree is only a small fraction of what I've paid in tax, the other £160K I've nothing to show for.

We are being ripped off, lied to and taken advantage of by a government that no longer fears its people. Its been said that a government will expand to fill the void created by the taxpayer, so true that is.

So for anyone out there asking "Why should I pay for you to go to uni?"

The answer is YOU don't pay, WE pay for ourselves eventually. But even if you do pay in the short term and object, then I ask: why should WE pay to support your PENSIONS in your old age (and yes, you know the government will have spent your pension money before its needed and will need the next generation to subsidise it). Swings and roundabouts.

First point I want to make is the BA strikes are nothing to do with the government, it's a private company so we will put that to one side regarding my answer.

Now I'm all for peoples right to peaceful protest but try and look at the student protests from the other side of the coin for a moment please. There is something in this country called the silent majority. While students are screaming in the streets and some of them are causing violence literally millions not thousands but millions are getting up going to work and earning there crust. These same millions are the people that are being asked to pay for these students and even with increased university fees they will still be paying 40% of the bill. These same people will pay for the damage done by the violent protestors. These same people pay the police to keep order and try and make the UK a safe place, but instead of chasing proper criminals these police are forced to keep the violent protestors under control. Many amongst these millions never had the opportunity to go to university.

So please explain why these millions of people should be bullied by a few thousand angry students? Because this minority is more violent and screams loudest?

These students won't have to pay a penny towards their education until they are earning good money (21k+) and many of them will go on to make millions of pounds more than the straight out of school worker over their lives. So if you think it's fair the humble posty or brick layer pays for the education of the future bankers and architects please carry on.

Well done. We should not just sit back and let a group of stuffy, ignorant politicians browbeat us around. And more so, we won't. That is why there has been trouble not just in Britain, but Ireland, Italy, France and Greece too. People have had enough of bearing the brunt of government decisions, when we weren't the ones who caused all of the mess in the first place.

And media outlets are just government spin anyway.

Behind the tuition fees protests, lies a much deeper resentment; namely that against the banks. We have had a recession, and are now faced with all of these spending cuts, BECAUSE of the greed and recklessness of the banks. The big black hole in the nation's finances is due to having to bail them out, so why should students have to pay £9'000 a year extra because of bank greed? Why should public sector workers lose their jobs or have pay freezes, just so that some backstabbers in the City can get their bonuses?

THIS is the main reason why. The banks caused all of the problems, yet absolutely NOTHING is being done about them. Any legislation to rein them in is always watered down.

Whether the media like it or not, violent protest DOES work: the Poll Tax riots got Thatcher out, the 1968 uprising in France got De Gaulle out. Robust demonstrating forced Jacques Chirac into a U-turn on his CPGE law. They also accounted for dictatorships in Ethiopia, Indonesia and eastern Europe (notably Romania and Serbia).

My advice to the protesters would be: keep on protesting, allow the workers and the unemployed to join in. Better still go right to the heart of the matter, riot outside the banks. If bank HQs are threatened with mob violence every time they mess us around, they will think twice before being so greedy and reckless.

Word to Cameron and Clegg: don't take your electorate for muppets, and don't think you can bully us any way you feel. You are sitting on a very small majority. If you lose a key vote and there is a snap General Election, we will vote you out.

You really are thick, you honestly think EVERY student will have £40000 debt and instantly have to pay it back?

If you work part time you earn about £5000 a year, thats 20,000 over 4 years so you debt is only 20,000

then you only start paying it back after you are earning £23,000 or more and its only at like £100 a month......YOU PAY MORE FOR YOUR COUNCIL TAX.

One million people can protest peacefully, and nothing will change, the reality is, as I have said often enough I think over the last few days, the only thing that stops governments in their tracks is rebellion.

Again, from Watt Tyler and the Peasants Revolt through to the Poll Tax Riots in Thatchers time, these changed the way governments behaved, walking around town with a flower in y7our had does nothing.

i'm hoping that human beings take word of the hyperlinks you submit. Tear gas and rubber bullets used on non violent protestors is disgusting. I agreed with the protestors besides, yet whether i did not, it extremely is undesirable. (as an aside - it extremely is one reason 2-occasion politics is that this type of undesirable device. each and each occasion needs purely to be marginally extra helpful than the different to get your vote. One occasion assaults you, the different one needs purely to attack you somewhat much less heavily to get elected. it extremely is incorrect). And properly accomplished to Rev Dr Giles Fraser.

Why does everyone slag off students because of a handful of people (most likely thugs along for the ride) making a nuisance of themselves? everyone is so easy to jump on the backs of the young generation and have a go, ffs other generations didn't have to pay, wasted their oppurtunities, lived through the boom, let everything go to pot then mess it up for the younger generations and still tarnish us with some narrow minded, prejudiced brush. All through school every week we underpriveleged kids in danger of sacking school off were told you must go to uni, better job prospects, more money, easier lives than your parents etc. then guess what the plans you made, tough you can't afford to go anymore; looks like you'll be miserable because of other people's mistakes now ah well who gives one. 4a stars 5 as at gcse, 4 predicted a levels. does'nt matter though your not rich, oh and your a violent ne'er do well according to most people

Last week a young lad of 20 sustained serious brain injury caused by baton wielding violent police. Last year Ian Tomlinson was killed by police. Again another UK cop backhanded a small woman across the face and baton whipped her to the ground while yet another UK cop viciously assaulted soldier Mark Aspinall for precious little.

Photos all over the country detailing protesters yet nobody looking for the cop who battered the 20 year old over the head needing 3 hrs of surgery.

Tomlinson's killer walks free after a fixed up enquiry. Etc etc.

Today some crazy man slices up a cop and injures one of those wannabe PCSO's. Expect any concern or sympathy. Forget it.

Who respects these violent arrogant police anymore ?

These protests start off peacefully and the police aggravate them into violence. I for one will stand and testify as witness for that anytime.

As for dumbed down masses I've never seen anywhere like Britain for it.

Nobody made any fuss over the lad hurt last week and it was hardly reported. Who cares now about some injured cop regardless of the circumstances ? Just DON'T care. Tough and it might make some

of his colleagues think about how they approach people.

It will end with mass rioting and Cameron is to blame.

Along with the dumpties of Britain who allowed him into office.

Welcome to Thatcherite Britain round two.

They can protest peacefully.

The only people who ahve been condemned are those who have attacked police officers, damaged peoples' property and endangered the public by committing arson.

Hope I helped.