SOUTH AFRICA: STUDENT PROTEST MARCH ERUPTS INTO VIOLENCE

Описание: (4 Feb 1998) English/Nat

A student protest march in central Johannesburg erupted into violence and looting on Wednesday.

Around three thousand students had taken to the streets to demand the scrapping of state subsidies for private schools and the immediate delivery of textbooks.

But many ended up stealing from stall holders along the route of the march.

It had been a protest about school funding.

The march on the local education department was organised by the Congress of South African Students to demand new books and the withdrawal of funding for private schools.

But when the protestors reached the Johannesburg Central Business District events took a different turn - students became unruly and started looting the stalls next to the road.

For some students the easy pickings were irresistible and they helped themselves to a variety of things from the stalls.

The vendors resorted to defending their goods with sticks and stones.

But students continued to hurl objects back at them.

The police cordoned off roads along the route of the march and police with shields and batons moved in.

Stones were also thrown at them as they tried to push the student group back.

There was a tense stand-off until the situation was brought under control by the heavy police presence.

Protesters showed little remorse about what had happened.

SOUNDBITE : (English)
"We can not apologise and do not feel sorry for coming here today because that is our right to demonstrate our education because our education is at stake."
SUPER CAPTION: T-J Motaung, Protester

Police made at least two arrests before the protestors dispersed - though not before they had handed over a memorandum of their demands to education authorities.

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