Early last month, the University of York (UoY) hired a debt collection agency to target international students involved in the previous rent strike. The intimidation they have faced, and their militant response, should serve as a lesson to all students wanting to fight.
The Lancaster rent strike emerged during the national student movement against universities and landlords during the COVID-19 pandemic. From Newcastle to Bristol thousands of students withheld their rent, and Lancaster was a shining example of this, winning a significant victory for students. The student rent-strike began in January 2021. 1,500 Read more…
Students at the Uni of Nottingham (UoN) are occupying the ESLC building to protest tuition fees, mistreatment by university management and the government. This has been done in solidarity with Sheffield Hallam and the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield who will be holding their own occupations, as students across the country increasingly shout ‘Enough!’
Goldsmith’s Rent Strike began at the start of January. This was due to the lies that were told to students regarding coming to halls back at the start of the academic year. This has been worsened by the appalling condition of the halls as well as issues of sexual assault Read more…
The MSF is intervening in rent strikes up and down the country. On the ground, we have been supporting and building for the strikes wholeheartedly. We have been raising our own demands (which can be found in this article) and argued for the strikes to be connected with the wider fight for free education.
On Monday 25th January, a rent strike national rally was held, with an array of speakers from the labour movement. It was held in support of the 50+ rent strikes taking place across the country right now. Speakers included John McDonnell (MP), Zahra Sultana (MP), Jo Grady (UCU Gen Sec), Read more…
With the announcement of the new lockdown, our rent strike page, Student Justice Now, exploded in interest from angered and confused students. We also witnessed the creation of another rent strike page run by students at the University of Birmingham, it hit 1500 followers within 24 hours of being established. Read more…
We re-publish here an article written by our comrade Andy from Goldsmiths Marxists in 2017, which outlines the radical history of tenants’ struggles in Britain, from the beginning of the twentieth century onwards. While the ideologists of capitalism maintain that we have come a long way since the days of slum tenements, the reality is that poor housing conditions are an everyday experience for many workers and youth and Britain. And, with the current housing crisis pushing many students into organising rent strikes up and down the country, there’s no better time to reflect on the lessons passed down to us from the struggles of the past.
Thousands of students are preparing the biggest rent strike for decades. Marxist societies around the country are part of this fight. Unite Students, the largest student accommodation provider in the country, has offered students a 50% rent reduction. Some universities have offered some reductions too. They can feel the pressure Read more…
Brunel Student Justice has been launched at Brunel university to fight the way management has handled the pandemic. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brunel Student Justice (@brunelstudentjustice) They have launched a petition, which has already achieved hundreds of signatures. The petition and demands can be read Read more…
Recently the students of the University of Manchester have experienced a victory from their rent strike against the landlord of their halls and the university itself. The students were striking after being lulled into their accommodation and paying full fees even though their lessons were all on zoom meetings and Read more…
In recent weeks, there has been an explosion of activism on Fallowfield campus at the University of Manchester (UoM), as students grow increasingly angry at the way they’ve been treated by university bosses. Since being lulled to campuses at the start of this academic year, students have faced lockdown and Read more…
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