The University of Helsinki building Porthania on City Center Campus was occupied by protesters for a week following a nationwide trade union strike on September 18th. We spoke to some of the media representatives of the movement Yliopistovaltaus (‘Occupy the University’) about the protest and student activism.
Can you briefly explain the events leading to the occupation of Porthania and how this movement came to be?
Students and people working in education have been worried about the state of Finnish education for a long time now and this worry naturally escalated with the right wing government’s austerity politics. Last week, a student called for a general assembly of the people of the University of Helsinki, and tens of students and staff members who had participated in the event then decided to occupy Porthania on Friday. The occupation started right after the workers’ demonstration on Friday the 18th of September, and the University workers’ and students’ blocks marched together from Rautatientori to Porthania.
Who are the people behind the occupation, and how has the University reacted?
The occupiers represent people from very different backgrounds: people who are working or studying from early to higher education or who are just worried about the state of our education. The University has reacted very well and cooperation with the janitors and cleaning staff of Porthania has been very smooth. And why wouldn’t it be, since we all have a common interest: to put a halt to the funding cuts on education, which pose a threat to the livelihood of us all. Together we are the University.
What are the top three things you’d like to achieve with the occupation?
The top three things agreed upon in our general assemblies are as follows:
– We resist cuts to education and the austerity politics at large.- We demand direct democracy and the implementation of a tripartite decision-making process for the education system.- We demand that higher education be guided by education and cultural politics, not business, product development or commercial innovation.
The occupation ended on Saturday the 25th of September. What happens now?
The movement born out of the occupation obviously continues. We are planning the organization of a general strike, beginning with a strike covering the complete Finnish education system. Plans are currently being made in workgroups and general assemblies.
Do you have any tips for people at the University who would like to make a difference and get involved in student activism?
We encourage everyone to occupy their own school. All it takes is finding some people with the same goals and creating organised action together. Not only is occupying a great way to draw attention to the issues themselves and put pressure on people in order to attain your goals, but it’s also an extremely empowering experience. The sense of community in Porthania was amazing; instead of feeling alone and alienated, we now feel that there’s a space for discussions and making a change. It’s also important to break the silence – we need to discuss and write about what’s wrong with our current education system and what it should be like.
You can also join our movement by attending our general assemblies, the next one is on Wednesday, October 7th. Also remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date.
Photos by Hilla Kurki