STUDENTS TOOK to the streets last Monday to protest against the installation of the Princess Royal as the new chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, while others complained about the cost and disruption of the ceremony that marked the official appointment of the Duke of Edinburgh’s daughter as his successor in the role.

Protestors initially gathered at New College on the Mound where the installation ceremony had been due to take place, however, they moved to Old College following the announcement that the ceremony venue had been changed at the last minute.The ‘Party Against Privilege’ was organised by the Edinburgh University Anti-Cuts Coalition. The ‘Party Against Privilege’ was organised by the Edinburgh University Anti-Cuts Coalition. Their Facebook page said: “Princess Anne has no connection to education. She is a symbol of unelected, unaccountable power. She is a relic of an age where education was the domain of a privileged elite.”

At one point, the group of protestors sat in the road temporarily stopping traffic on South Bridge, but they quickly moved back to the pavement. There was a very large police presence at Old College to control and contain the protestors but Lothian and Borders Police told The Student that the event passed “without incident.“

The Anti-Cuts Coalition say that at its busiest point there were around 100 students outside Old College and it has been reported that their chants could be heard within the Old College quadrangle where the ceremony took place.There was anger amongst the protestors that money was spent on the event at the same time as the announcement that students from the rest of the UK will be charged £9000 per year for an education at Edinburgh.

First year Fine Art and History of Art student Beti Scott told The Student at the protest, “It’s disgusting. The average degree here will be £36,000. You can’t then go and spend money on a ridiculous ceremony that doesn’t benefit students in any way.”

Complaints about the ceremony extended further than the protestors. Many students who were not involved in the protest felt that the organisation had been very poor and had caused significant disruption to their studies.

Fifteen classes were disrupted in New College, despite the fact that the building went unused for the whole day due to the change of venue and a further forty-six classes were relocated from Old College to elsewhere around the university campus.

One student who was not at the protest but suffered disruption to her timetable thanks to the ceremony, who asked not to be named, told The Student, “It’s a fucking disgrace. The library was utter chaos because clearly no one has anywhere else to go, and they’ve closed everything for the sake of one stupid royal.”

Students in Old College were only told on Thursday that the building would be closed for the installation on Monday, giving them notice of little over a day that the Law and Europa Library would be closed over the weekend.

Third year law student Carolyn Lang said, “It would have been easier to accept the disruptions if we had been informed of the planned closure earlier than the afternoon before. “It can be difficult enough for a whole seminar group to access a limited number of materials in time for a class and the visit of the Chancellor has only made it worse.”

Princess Anne, who has been installed in the role, succeeds her father, the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Phillip, who stepped down last year after 57 years as Chancellor. Her Royal Highness is the eighth chancellor of the university and her inauguration marks the continuation of a 150-year old tradition.

She was elected in March following her work as a patron of the university’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. The Chancellor is mainly responsible for conferring degrees, nominating an assessor for the University Court and serving as the president of the General Council.

During the ceremony, the princess presented a benefactor award to Harry Potter author J K Rowling for her generous contributions to the University.

The university benefactor’s award acknowledges Rowling’s £10 million donation to the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic. The facility, which will open in 2013, will focus on developing treatments for multiple sclerosis and other degenerative neurological conditions.
Princess Anne also unveiled a plaque marking the new landscaping of the quadrangle at Old College.

EUSA Vice President for Academic Affairs Mike Williamson told The Student, “EUSA supports the right to protest and encourages students to be politically active. I had already informed the University Court that I do not think the chancellor’s election last year was run particularly democratically, and that that’s a shame when it only happens once every few decades.

“I’m very disappointed that the university closed New College over the weekend, and disrupted lectures on Monday, even though the installation ceremony took place in Old College. That’s much more disruptive than the protest was.”A spokesperson for the University told The Student: “The University attaches great importance to freedom of speech as long as points of view are put across in a safe and lawful way.”

They did not respond to questions related to disruption to teaching caused by the event.