Student activists refuse to pay fine for Willetts protestjames redburn

Two Cambridge students who were fined by the Cambridge Union Society when their protest at the visit of Minister for Universities David Willetts was deemed "obscene" have defied the ruling with another stunt. 

In response to the Union's demand that they each pay £20 for unfurling a banner reading ‘Fuck Off Willetts’ during the MP’s talk, Conrad Landin and Jessica O’Driscoll-Breen handed the bursar of the Union an enormous cheque for the princely sum of "sod all".

The two undergraduates were accompanied by students and academics representing Cambridge Defend Education. This protest group was created in October 2010, prompted by rising university fees and cuts in education funding. The cheque purported to come from "The Bank of Moral Bankruptcy", and was handed towards the Union’s bursar Bill Bailey who, according to CDE, responded by saying: “I have no interest in you whatsoever”.

Landin and O’Driscoll-Breen commented: “David Willetts came to Cambridge not prepared to listen to students - he had his answers prepared. He has an ideological agenda for the marketisation of higher education, including even higher tuition fees, and privatising student loans. Unfortunately, by giving him their platform, the Union helped him spread the illusion that he is open to reasoned debate.”

They added, in reference to the fine: “The Union must be desperate for cash - obviously their much-advertised 'collaboration' with city accountants Deloittes hasn't delivered."

The Union responded to the gesture in their press release today, stating: “Given that Ms O’Driscoll-Breen and Mr Landin have failed to comply with the President’s previous judgement, or lodge a further special appeal as they were informed they had the right to, they have been placed under further investigation". The most serious punishment would see Landin and O’Driscoll-Breen have their memberships revoked. 

The Union’s release concluded on a flippant note: “The President would like to commend Cambridge Defend Education for their outstanding calligraphy. The ‘cheque’ is now on display in the President’s office”. 

Oliver Mosley, the Union’s Press Officer, stated that he could not comment on the outcome of the ongoing investigation.