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University of Manchester students demand cut to fees at Fallowfield protest

Students once again demonstrated their anger at the University of Manchester with another protest on Thursday night.

The University of Manchester Fallowfield campus was bombarded with noise as students came together to protest against the tuition fees for this academic year.

The protest organised by S.A.F.E.R (Student Action for a Fair and Educated Response) demanded that the tuition fee be reduced to £6,192, which is the cost of an Open University fee.

The S.A.F.E.R organisation was set up at the start of the academic year to ‘fight for academic, financial and physical safety during COVID-19’, and has held numerous protests already in the last couple of months.

The original plan was for this protest to be held outside, however the S.A.F.E.R committee received a call from the police warning of fines if this took place.

This setback however didn’t stop S.A.F.E.R from getting their message across, as they encouraged students on social media to stay indoors and make as much noise as they could.

And as 8PM struck, the campus was booming with noise, as students opened their windows to bang together pots and plans and play music.

One member of the S.A.F.E.R committee also went around the campus with a speaker, explaining why this protest was so important.

She said “We are not even asking for that much.”

 “What we are asking for is that our fees reflect the current diminished standard of education we are receiving.”

There was also a heavy police presence within the campus, ensuring students stayed indoors and maintained social distancing.

Manchester student Scarlett Hill, 18, who lives in halls at the Fallowfield campus, has said that she is ‘sick and tired’ of the way the university has handled the pandemic.

She said: “Students should have some kind of reduction in fees, because we are not experiencing proper teaching or being able to use the facilities we would normally.”

“I have been at university since September and I have not once stepped foot into the university, it has all been online.”

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