50 years of student protest at the University of Bristol

In 1968, students at universities around the UK and the world took part in a series of protests that challenged the hierarchy of universities, corporations and the government. They were following the actions of their French peers, who occupied the streets of Paris from May 3-13 and were later joined by workers in the largest general strike of the 20th century, with seven million people downing tools.

The unrest shook up the status quo and the student movement gained momentum. Months after those original protests and following a march on December 5 1968, students entered the University of Bristol’s administrative headquarters – Senate House on Tyndall Avenue – and began an occupation that was to last 11 days.

Senate House on Tyndall Avenue was at the centre of the protest in 1968

It was the first ever large-scale student protest at the university, and local students were joined by contingents from LSE, Birmingham, Leicester, Cardiff and other universities.

The students were seeking greater representation on university bodies and asking that all students in the city – including those studying at Bristol’s technical and vocational colleges – had access to the facilities of the newly-opened £750,000 University of Bristol Students’ Union building.

Over the course of the protest more than 700 students, of a total of 6,000 studying at the time, joined the sit-in, which ended with eight students receiving court summons’ and being banned from entering the building.

Two of the students involved in the protest, Sue Tate and Kevin Whitston, will share their memories of the events at Bristol Radical History Festival on May 6.

The student protest made front-page news both in the local and national papers in December 1968

“It’s important to remember histories of dissent and protest and to remember that the world doesn’t have to be one particular way,” says Molly Conisbee, a history PhD candidate at the University of Bristol and co-founder of the collective that are putting on many of the events at the festival – Bread, Print and Roses.

“It’s inspiring to look at the past and at the people who were at the forefront of that dissent. Without those figures, things wouldn’t ever be challenged or changed. There are always possibilities for changing the world.”

Students occupied Senate House again in 2018 in solidarity with lecturers striking over pension changes

The events of May 1968 paved the way for a rich history of student protest over the past half-century, memorably the demonstrations against higher education cuts and tuition fee rises of 2010 that saw 50,000 young people descend on London and occupy Milbank, the campaign headquarters of the Conservative Party.

Senate House itself became the seat of another protest in early March 2018, when a dozen students staged a sit-in in the same building, demanding a meeting with the vice chancellor to discuss changes to pensions that saw lecturers strike for 14 days. After 50 hours of occupying the offices of senior management, the vice chancellor met with the students and confirmed that the university would listen to their demands to not dock the pay of striking staff.

Robin Boardman was one of the students involved in the occupation. “The history of student protests inspired myself and others to join together to protect our staff,” he says. “The higher education system has fallen prey to one of the most dangerous parts of capitalism: individualism. Without solidarity, the rights of exploited workers whether they be cleaners, caters or senior lecturers are difficult to protect.

“Whilst inside our occupation, we met with a secretly supportive member of staff, a Bristol alumni that had also occupied back in 2010. Connecting with her and dozens of other occupying students around the country through Skype gave us hope. We were all in it together.

“We knew the power of our voices and will carry on making sure that student and staff voices, especially those are already marginalised, are heard across campus. Together, in the footsteps of many before us, we believe that just change will come to the university.”

Students occupying Senate House in 2018 connected with other groups via Skype

While contemporary events continue to echo the past so strongly, it is the actions of those original students in 1968 that must be appreciated for being truly revolutionary.

“Although it’s an event about history, we’re aiming to look at the long reach of the last 50 years,” Molly says of the focus of the festival. “We’re getting to the point where the generation of students from 1968 won’t be around to share their memories for the 60th or 70th or 100th anniversary, and in the spirit of sharing that oral history, we want to connect people through their stories and how those experiences inspired them.”

Bristol Radical History Festival takes place at M Shed on May 6. For more information about all the events happening on the day, visit www.brh.org.uk/site/event-series/bristol-radical-history-festival-2018