School and FE students are excluded from political life. We're denied the vote, no union exists to represent us, and our views are often disregarded as angst-ridden adolescent ramblings. But the students who walked out of school on the 5th, 7th and 19th of March made their views very clear, and demanded that their voice be heard.
In Leicester on the 7th, International Socialist Resistance helped co-ordinate walkouts that culminated in a demo of nearly a thousand in the city centre. 8 students were arrested but the charges against them have now been dropped. School student Tom said that student strikers were not just looking for an excuse to bunk of school, but were "genuinely concerned. We do count and we have to show our opposition to the war."
In Fortismere School in Muswell Hill, Sam Beste helped organise a walkout of around 70 students on the 5th of March. "More would have walked out, but staff locked the gates. We walked down to Parliament and joined in the protest there." Sam said that he feels this movement has the potential to turn into an effective anti capitalist force. "This movement is really dynamic and has the potential to change the world and stop capitalism."
On Wednesday the 19th, walkouts took place all over the country once again. One student activist from London said 'we just want to do as much as we can to prevent war.' Another activist stressed the importance of opposing Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. "Saddam is wrong, but war will not help the Iraqi people." In Manchester, there was a rally of 1,000 students - some of whom used Bolshy front pages as placards!
Student strikes have not been seen on this scale for decades. Our job now is to back them up with action to build a movement with its own, positive agenda. This action should include meetings, educationals, and, most importantly, linking up with workers and trade union activists.
Bolshy fights for full political rights, including the vote, at 14, and for the right for school students to form a union to represent them. Activists have to actively campaign against students who protested against the war being treated as truants. Several students have already been suspended. The way our esteemed elected representative have conducted themselves in reaction to student walkouts and the movement in general reveals the transparencies in British democracy. Bolshy believes that democracy and capitalism are irreconcilable. We fight for the destruction of capitalism and its replacement with a workers' government - truly representative and truly democratic.
