IMMEDIATELY AFTER the conclusion of Wednesday night’s EUSA AGM at 9.30pm, George Square Lecture Theatre came under occupation by a group of around thirty student activists affiliated with the Edinburgh Anti-Cuts Coalition.

As questions were put to the sabbatical officers after voting on the evening’s motions had finished, a member of the audience asked whether the sabbatical officers supported the use of occupations as a means of demanding change.

After the unanimous agreement of each of the panel, the same audience member declared the occupation of the lecture theatre.

The front and back doors to the lecture theatre were barricaded with chairs. Security threatened to call police, but there was no sign of a police presence while The Student was on the scene.

The Student was present for much of the night, as the occupiers held a meeting to agree on their demands of university management and to decide on where next to occupy. It was decided that because of possible disruption to lectures, the occupation of George Square Lecture Theatre was to be temporary.

Various locations around the Central Area campus were considered. The discussion was concerned with the occupation’s ability to make an impact upon and draw the attention of university management, but the desire not to cause problems for fellow students was a consistent aspect of the locations that were discussed.

During the night, NUS Scotland President Robin Parker visited the occupation at approximately 11.35pm, staying for about half an hour to speak to the occupiers and participate in the discussion. The discussion continued until almost 2 am, at which point the occupiers settled down for the night and The Student left the building.

At approximately 4.30pm on Thursday, the same group occupied Appleton Tower. The group had originally planned to occupy Adam House on Chambers Street that morning, however they had not been able to enter the building.

The group posted a statement of the Anti-Cuts Coalition website saying: “We are now occupying Appleton Tower, in support of the UCU [University and College Union] strike on Wednesday November 30, against the moves of the government to privatise higher education and in defence of the principle that education is a public, social good which should be free for all.

“We stand in solidarity with student occupations across the UK. If we wish to defend our system and move towards a genuinely egalitarian position - where students are supported through their degrees, courses and staff are properly funded and no one is priced out of education - we must make a stand now.

“We do not intend or expect to disrupt teaching and hope that the university will not choose to cancel or move lectures or events happening in Appleton.”

The group also released a list of demands to the University of Edinburgh on their website. This includes a demand for the revocation of £9,000 tuition fees for RUK students, a repudiation of the coalition government’s changes to higher education and an end to privately funded courses and research.

Group members at the occupation told The Student that they intended to stay until November 30, the same date as nationwide public sector strikes are planned.