Germany: Ten thousand demonstrate against university fees

The demonstration in Wiesbaden was part of a nationwide day of action against such university fees. On the same day, 3,500 students protested in Hamburg against the CDU-led town council, which also decided to introduce study fees of 500 euros per term.

So far, the CDU-governed states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony have either introduced or decided upon study fees.

The day of action in Wiesbaden was the high point of a nearly two-month campaign by students at all Hessian universities. The campaign began following the decision by the state government to introduce study fees on May 5, although the state’s constitution guarantees a free school and university education.

Since then, mass meetings of thousands of students and a wide range of protest actions have taken place on nearly a daily basis all over Hesse: in Marburg, the university administration offices were occupied for several days, while motorways, tram lines and major junctions were blocked in Marburg and Frankfurt.

Hessian Science Minister Udo Corts declared the imposition of fees for students to be “reasonable” because the new legislation allows students to take out study loans, which do not have to be repaid until studies have been completed.

The use of loans was also cited by the Hessian state government as a legal excuse for bypassing the requirements laid down by the state constitution. The state authority ordered a noted Berlin attorney to examine the legal aspects of the legislation. The SPD (Social Democratic Party) Education spokesman, Michael Siebel, defended the procedure, saying it led to “an ordered result.”

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http://wsws.org/articles/2006/jul2006/germ-j06.shtml