Is the the truth or did you read it in the Herald-Sun?

Today's Herald-Sun article (9/5/97) might have told you students are occupying the admin building, but the rest is far from the real story on what's happening.

Yesterday thousands of students and staff across the country protested the introduction of upfront fees and demanded a publicly funded, accessible education system. Students at Sydney University, NSW, Adelaide University, SA, Griffith University, Qld and here at Melbourne University occupied their administrations.

Compare The Herald-Sun's version of events with what actually happened:

At 3:30pm the Melbourne rally marched onto the Melbourne Uni campus. Several hundred students walked into the open administration building while 600 supporters remained outside the building. Staff were inside the building were given leaflets explaining the students' intentions and asked for their support. Many staff expressed support for the students' actions, and all left peacefully by 5.00pm.

This was a far cry from the description given by the Herald-Sun: "the students, most of them in their 20s, ran through the building smashing doors, tables, windows, and upending furniture" plus "striking fear into the administration staff".

200 students then stayed in the building overnight, twice as many as claimed by the Herald-Sun. This is despite having no water, electricity, phones or much food. Despite the violent efforts of the police, some food and candles were able to be smuggled in during the night. A group of 50 or so people provided support and maintained a picket during the night.

Perhaps it's not surprising the HUN only spoke to us once briefly through night and relied on the police and admin statements, after all the Herald Sun is renowned for siding with government and business against workers and students, but we won't be silenced. The occupation continues...

Student rampage at uni

By Jim Pollard

HUNDREDS of students went on a vandalism rampage before staging a sit-in at
Melbourne University's administration building.

More than 100 students were barricaded inside the building last night, with
dozens of police outside.

Power, phones and access to toilets was cut off, while police on horses rode
through a crowd of supporters outside to stop them getting food to the
protesters locked inside the building's second floor.

University chiefs said they had offered to let the students go without being
charged, despite their causing thousands of dollars damage and terrifying
staff when they invaded the building in mid-afternoon.

The students - from several universities - refused, preferring to make a show
of force against the introduction of up-front fees in a protest coordinated
with rallies and sit-ins at universities around the country.

University registrar Jim Potter said: "they smashed through one door so
violently it was really reduced to little more than matchwood - it's hardly a
peaceful demonstration.

"Turning on university authorities this way is totally unproductive," he said.

Superintendent Tony Warren said the students, most of them in their 20s, ran
through the building, smashing doors, tables, windows, and upending furniture,
plus "striking fear into the administration staff".

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