Court Order Ends Student Sit-in At University

The University of Sheffield has been granted a court order to remove 19 students who have been occupying a lecture theatre for more than a week.

The "Free University of Sheffield" movement began its sit-in at the Richard Roberts Auditorium as a protest at paid-for education. The group's Twitter page said it was "fighting for free, non-hierarchical, directly democratic education."

A spokesperson for the University said that although the institution "recognised the commitment to peaceful protest," it could not condone the occupation.

The sit-in began on 29 February with a number of students sleeping in the lecture theatre. A week later, the group celebrated one week since the start of the occupation, claiming, "We're still going strong and not giving up."

In a statement, the University said it understood that the "increasing marketisation of higher education is rightly an issue very close to the hearts of many of its staff and students." It continued:

"As a University, we fully support freedom of speech and the right of students to express their views peacefully and within the law.

"The University recognises the commitment of the occupiers to peaceful protest, however cannot condone occupation of a building that could cause disruption to our staff and students."

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