Iran MP slams UK for jailing students

Mon Dec 13, 2010

An Iranian lawmaker has criticized the British government for jailing the country's youth who are protesting the coalition government's decision to raise university tuition fees.

Tens of thousands of students and activists have taken to the streets in nationwide protests against the UK government's plan.

The students are being thrown into jails for protesting the plan to cut the country's higher-education budget, Vali Esmaeili, who represents Iran's northeastern border city of Germi in the Majlis, said on Monday.

"Currently, hundreds of students, who only have simple union demands and are protesting plans for a three-fold hike in university fees and other higher education institutions, are in detention," the Iranian legislator added.

A total of 36 people have so far been arrested in connection with demonstrations in central London on Thursday, which marked the fourth national protest over the budget cuts.

In addition to those already in detention, another British student was arrested on Monday over involvement in tuition fee protests in London.

Twenty-one-year-old Charlie Gilmour, son of Pink Floyd guitarist David, was arrested at his home in Sussex on "suspicion of violent disorder" but was released on bail hours later.

Meanwhile, London is bracing itself for more protests as students gather to demonstrate against cutting the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) -- a weekly grant of up to GBP 30 which is often the decisive factor for poor students in deciding to further their high school education.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155333.html.