News and Civil Society by Jen Birks

Author:Jen Birks [Birks, Jen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Sociology, General, Business & Economics, Industries, Media & Communications
ISBN: 9781317087632
Google: R9AoDAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2016-05-13T03:22:36+00:00

Representativeness of ‘violent’ direct action: Anarchist hijack

To some extent, the president of the NUS, Aaron Porter, operated as a primary definer on the Millbank action, which could be interpreted as a positive reflection on the increasing access of civil society associations, or as Porter having been co-opted as the moderate voice against the more radical element (as explored in the next chapter). Porter framed the march as having been “hijacked” by outside agitators who were not ‘genuine’ students with an interest in the cause (reflecting as assumption that ‘authentic’ political action is self-interested – see Chapter 7).

There were 47 references across 14 newspapers to the protest having been “hijacked” by “rogue” elements. Only eight of these (227 words) were attributed to Porter, but all were on the day following the protest, supporting the contention that he was defining the framing of the Millbank action.

THE NUS condemns the rogue protesters’ violent actions. It is despicable that a minority’s actions hijacked a serious issue which 50,000 students came to protest. They seemed to be a large group headed by anarchists, who probably don’t even care about fees. I suspect most weren’t students at all. But until the violence erupted, it was a fantastic demonstration. (Aaron Porter, NUS President, writing in the Sun 11/11/10)

However, the framing of anarchist hijack has become so frequent as to constitute a new ‘common sense’ stereotype, so the Herald remarked “of course, there were the anarchists who always turn up at these events” (11/11/10), and the Sun “We all expect students to demonstrate and we know these protests are infiltrated by anarchists” (11/11/10).

The hijack frame was enthusiastically adopted by tabloid newspapers of both left and right.

The Battle of Millbank Tower erupted just after 1pm as a previously peaceful student demo against the increase in tuition fees was hijacked by anarchists. (Mirror 11/11/10)

More than 40 police officers were injured and 50 people arrested when the protest was hijacked by a hardcore of activists intent on causing mayhem. (Express 12/11/10)

Whilst the Mirror adopts the discourse in the same way as Porter, to establish the legitimacy of the mainstream protest by marginalising the protesters engaging in direct action, the Express shifts the emphasis to delegitimising the protesters, with mention of the march buried half-way down the article and mentioned only as the context within which the “violence” occurred. It is used to demonise the (radical) left as motivated by mindless oppositionalism (see Chapter 7).

Despite widespread acceptance of Porter’s protestations, then, some commentary on the legitimacy of the students’ protest repertoires clearly positioned the breakaway occupying group as the defining face of the protests, and as – regrettably but, for some reason, inevitably – undermining the anti-tuition fee cause. Two letter-writers (Belfast Telegraph 11/11/10 and Express 12/11/10) and two opinion writers (Daily Mail 13/11/10 and Mail on Sunday 14/11/10), whilst accepting that the ‘rioters’ were a minority, nevertheless argued that the minority had undermined the cause.

SIR – The student demonstration was clearly hijacked by the usual anarchists. Unfortunately, the students demonstrating lawfully

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