Essex 1967-9

- a brief chronology of political activity

11th Feb 1967 - slow handclaps and boos for Mr Crossland - students demonstrate and "Sit Down" against Antony Crossland, Secretary of State for Education - Daily Telegraph

21 May 1967 - Students demonstrated against the Prime Minister [Harold Wilson] at Essex University yesterday about his economic policy and Vietnam and became involved in scuffles with the police. They also protested about the £3,000 spent on the ceromony to install Lord Butler as Chancellor - The Observer

November 67 - boycott of Hexagon restaurant

January 1968 - "There is something wrong with Essex " by Colin Rogers, Rick Coates and Mike Gonzalez published advocating "the sole policy-making body of the Union would be the General Meeting"

20th February 1968 . Bomb threat to Powell made in a letter to the students' newspaper of Esssex University - Daily Mirror.

23rd Feb 1968 - Hundreds attend Enoch Powell meeting to make their protest against his racism.

5th March 1968 - seven students accused over Powell meeting disruption - disciplinary hearing for the seven prevented by sit-in.

6th March 1968 - Protest students mob College Chief: More than 100 angry students trapped the Vice-Chancellor of Essex University in his office yesterday. They were furious because 6 students had been threatened with punishment following incidents during ...Powell's visit. Daily Express

17th March 1968 - large contingent of Essex students at the famous Grosvenor Square demo against the Vietnam War

26th April 1968 - Copy of Ginger sent to Home Office - Essex County Standard

Tuesday 7th May 1968 - 200 students support secretly planned Porton Down demo - "police dogs called in to students" - Daily Express

Friday 10th May 1968, Raphael Halberstadt, David Triesman and Pete Archard suspended and ordered off the campus

Monday 12th May 1968 - Students picket all entrances to the University from early morning distributing leaflets calling all students and staff to meeting to discuss suspension of the three students. A huge meeting attended by nearly all the University population, voted overwhelmingly to refuse to participate in the University - in its place a Free University was declared - Wyvern

15th May 1968 - Second day of the Free University - Senate meet for eight hours, deciding the fate of the three and fail to agree - Times

May 17th 1968 - Rebels raid the Pantry. Rebel students took over Essex University restaurant last night. They said they would stay there until suspensions are lifted on 3 students - Daily Express

23 May 1968 - Chris Allen, a member of the party of Essex students in this Spain this term........ arrested... while putting up a notice in the University of Grenada calling a meeting to discuss the activities of students in France - from campus leaflet

Mid-Late May 1968 - dozens of Essex students in Paris

24th September 1968 - drugs raid in Wivenhoe. Several Essex students arrested - Ginger

23rd October 68 Colchester Vietnam demo - 40 arrested
Local courts clogged with pleas of "not guilty" - Wyvern

12th December 1968 - 40 Essex University students staged a sit-in over Biafra at the House of Commons, in committee room 14 - Essex County Standard.

16th January 1969 - students took over University computer centre following a decision to expel Raphael Halberstadt.

30th Jan 1969 - 500 sit-in in solidarity with LSE - Daily Express

10th February 1969 - Revolutionary Festival starts with car-burning in the square.

24th April 1969 - students prevent Parliamentary inquiry and chase MPs off campus

25th April 1969 - Five MPs went to militant Essex University yesterday to find out about student unrest - and found out. As they quit an uproarious meeting they tangled with sit-down protesters and for a moment it looked as if they were going to lose their trousers - Daily Express

29th April 1969 The affair at Essex in which five MP's were forced by students to abandon a meeting is to go before the Commons Committe of Privileges - Daily Express

17th July 1969 - Demonstration at Degree Ceremony

5th November 1969 - Blockade of the University Senate from mid afternoon until late at night - in protest against the expulsion of 4 students. Students physically prevent their professors leaving the meeting. Visits to the toilet are supervised. Police mysteriously fail to respond to pleas for assistance.

27th November 1969 Court of Appeal reverses previous High Court decision and grants injunction against Chris Ratcliffe after a 2 day hearing. Dicscipline at the University had been allowed to get into a "pretty pickle" said Lord Justice Phillimore - Times, Telegraph