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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Student protest threat forces Lib Dem meeting to cancel | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent | By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent |
| Threats of a student protest this weekend have forced Liberal Democrats to abandon a planned conference. | |
| The party's London MPs were to have met at a north London school on Saturday, but the head teacher has now cancelled the booking. | The party's London MPs were to have met at a north London school on Saturday, but the head teacher has now cancelled the booking. |
| Head teacher of Haverstock School, John Dowd, said the risks from the protest were too great. | Head teacher of Haverstock School, John Dowd, said the risks from the protest were too great. |
| A replacement venue also pulled out - forcing the Lib Dems to postpone the meeting until some time next year. | |
| Mr Dowd said it was clear from protest websites that there was going to be a demonstration against the Liberal Democrat MPs meeting at the school and he thought that it posed too great a risk. | Mr Dowd said it was clear from protest websites that there was going to be a demonstration against the Liberal Democrat MPs meeting at the school and he thought that it posed too great a risk. |
| Occupations | Occupations |
| After the cancellation of the meeting at Haverstock School the Liberal Democrats had planned a substitute venue - but details of this were also circulated by protesters, leading to the event being called off. | |
| Fiona Edwards, speaking for the Free Education Campaign protest, said: "The cancellation of the venue for the conference is yet another sign of the deep unpopularity of the Liberal Democrats' policy on fees and is hugely embarrassing for the party." | Fiona Edwards, speaking for the Free Education Campaign protest, said: "The cancellation of the venue for the conference is yet another sign of the deep unpopularity of the Liberal Democrats' policy on fees and is hugely embarrassing for the party." |
| The vote by MPs on whether to raise university fees in England to an upper limit of £9,000 will be held next week and a number of protests have been announced. | The vote by MPs on whether to raise university fees in England to an upper limit of £9,000 will be held next week and a number of protests have been announced. |
| Liberal Democrats have become particular targets for student protests as their MPs had given students a signed pledge that they would vote against any increase in fees. | Liberal Democrats have become particular targets for student protests as their MPs had given students a signed pledge that they would vote against any increase in fees. |
| There has been a wave of protests and occupations in universities, against the fee increase and plans to cut public funding for many arts and humanities courses. | There has been a wave of protests and occupations in universities, against the fee increase and plans to cut public funding for many arts and humanities courses. |
| Students at the London School of Economics have now begun an occupation. | |
| This weekend students are planning talks which will link the current wave of unrest with the protests of the 1960s - in which students at the London School of Economics played an iconic role. | This weekend students are planning talks which will link the current wave of unrest with the protests of the 1960s - in which students at the London School of Economics played an iconic role. |
| 'Desperately concerned' | 'Desperately concerned' |
| There are also occupations taking place in universities including University College London, SOAS, Newcastle, King's College London, Leeds, Sheffield and Cambridge. | There are also occupations taking place in universities including University College London, SOAS, Newcastle, King's College London, Leeds, Sheffield and Cambridge. |
| On Friday, the National Union of Students has sought to broaden the protest against fees by encouraging parents and families to write to MPs. | On Friday, the National Union of Students has sought to broaden the protest against fees by encouraging parents and families to write to MPs. |
| "Over the past few weeks I have been contacted by a great number of parents who are desperately concerned about how their children will be affected," says NUS president, Aaron Porter. | "Over the past few weeks I have been contacted by a great number of parents who are desperately concerned about how their children will be affected," says NUS president, Aaron Porter. |