Bod Men Get Mad
A botched anti-fees occupation ended with one student in hospital after a number of the protestors were forcibly ejected from the Radcliffe Camera by a University employee.
Ros Dampier, who was attempting to occupy the Rad Cam on Saturday afternoon with four other anti-fees protestors, was pushed by the Bodleian doorman whilst holding on to either side of the doorway. She was propelled through the doors of the library with such force that she tumbled down the stone steps backwards, landing on her back.
Dampier, who rushed to hospital following the incident to have her spine X-rayed and who still has bruising on her lower back, told The OxStu: "I was pretty shaken up by the whole thing, and still am."
The doorman, whose job is usually to check the Bod cards and bags of incoming and outgoing students, apparently "flipped" (according to eyewitness Phil Thompson) when confronted with the statement that the five students were occupying in protest. This could have been provoked by the presence of other students on the steps outside the library, some of whom were trying to enter the building. Those involved maintain that the protest was entirely peaceful in intent, but that the situation escalated when everyone panicked. It was planned that more students would join those already inside once the occupation was certain, but the decision was made to call it off once it was seen that people were being put at risk of injury.
Eyewitnesses in the foyer of the library state that at least four students were man-handled by the guard. Thompson, one of the occupation's protagonists, described the use of force to The OxStu as "excessive" and "disproportionate". He said incredulously: "He was exerting so much force on Ros, who is physically very small".
The incident has provoked concerns that training given by the University to their employees is insufficient, failing to adequately prepare staff to deal with such situations. Of this, Dampier said: "Staff who deal with students on a day-to-day basis should be trained to be aware of minimum standards of behaviour." The Librarian's Office of the Bodleian has declined to comment.
Photo: Rachel Logan
23rd Jan 2003