2023 University of Manchester protests

The 2023 University of Manchester protests were student protests and a rent strike at the University of Manchester in England. The protests began on 19 January 2023 and ended on 17 December 2023.

Background
The protests were in reaction to living conditions in university accommodation provided by the University of Manchester and the cost of living crisis. The goals of the protesters were for a 30% reduction in rent for halls of residence, 30% of the October payment to be refunded, no rent increases for the next three years, to make 40% of student halls affordable (as per NUS guidelines), and for no disciplinary action to be taken against the protesters. The students said issues included rat infestations, leaks, mould, and high rent during the cost of living crisis.

The rent strike was called off on 17 December 2023 without any of the demands being met by the university, students who participated in the rent strike received a £25 fine each missed payment though this was mostly paid for by the Student Union. 11 students underwent a disciplinary procedure for alleged involved in occupations related to the rent strike, though the panel dropped 2 cases entirely and the remainder were asked to write letters of apology and watch "Health and Safety" training videos.

Rent strike
On 19 January 2023, a group of 350 students from the University of Manchester withheld rent and said that they would continue to until their demands were met. The group stated that over half a million pounds worth of rent was withheld.

The group stated that their numbers grew to over 650 due to students joining the strike for the next rent installment which was due on 20 April 2023. They claimed this accounted for roughly £2 million being withheld from the university.

Occupations
On 8 February 2023, students in the rent strike group announced that they had occupied three University buildings; the Samuel Alexander building, the Engineering building, and the John Owens senior management building which contains the Vice-Chancellor's office. The students barricaded doors to prevent access to the building and similarly to the 2020 protests, banners were hung on the occupied buildings targeting the university and its Vice Chancellor.

On 13 February 2023, the student group also occupied the Simon Building.

The University switched off heating and WiFi in the John Owens building on 15 February 2023, which was being occupied by students at the time. Students demanded that the heating and internet be turned back on, and left the building soon after. The University also placed bike locks on fire exits.

The University of Manchester sent a memo to staff members on 28 February 2023, stating that they aimed to remove the occupiers and start disciplinary action following the discovery of alleged illegal actions taken by the protesters. The University also started disciplinary action and sent emails to 11 students involved in the John Owens occupation the same day, saying the students broke the University's "Conduct and Discipline" regulations.

On 24 March 2023, the rent strike group posted on social media that they had occupied the University's security office.

The students had presence in four buildings, including the Engineering building, the Samuel Alexander building, the John Owens Building and the Simon Building for at least 100 hours as part of the strike. The Simon Building was first occupied on 13 February 2023, with those inside stating that they would not leave unless bailiffs forced them to, or the University negotiated directly with the protesters.

Demonstrations
At 6:00 pm on 1 March 2023, protestors marched from Owens Park to the Whitworth Building arch on Oxford Road. The protest was held in support of the demands of the rent strike, the occupations, and a demand for £1,500 to be given to every student as a cost of living support package. The demonstration ended with a rally outside the then occupied Simon Building. The protestors also showed support for other activist movements including the movement to free Palestine and ACAB, which some spectators claim caused confusion.

On 21 March 2023, protesters disrupted a board of governors meeting.

On 24 March 2023, another demonstration took place. Meeting again at the Whitworth Building arch, protesters marched through the campus ending at the Simon Building which they briefly re-entered. The students at the demonstration also hung a protest banner between the Williamson and Simon buildings.

Referendum
On 3 March 2023, a petition was published and successfully reached the required 400 signatures allowing students at the University of Manchester to call for a referendum. The referendum calls for the Student Union to support the demands of the rent strike and broader cost of living support detailed in the demands of the occupation. Campaigning began on 13 March 2023 and voting took place between 20 and 23 March 2023.

On 24 March 2023, the result of the referendum was announced: Shortly after the results were released, the University of Manchester responded with claims their handling of the protests was different to other universities that take "a very hard line", while not committing to taking any action that the referendum demanded or confirming they have any further plans to resolve issues raised in the referendum.

End of the rent strikes
On 17 December 2023 it was announced that the rent strike would cease.

Incidents
On 19 February 2023, the University security team called police to the Simon Building on the University of Manchester campus. Six police vans and cars arrived at the scene and refused to assist security in removing the students. Security also blocked access to and from the building including preventing students from exiting and food deliveries from arriving. The student group claimed the staff made false allegations of being assaulted, whereas the University claims security and support staff were injured. There were also claims that personal property such as towels had been stolen by security, and that food and sanitary products were being blocked from students, but these claims have not been verified. However footage of these incidents has been posted to social media.

On 9 March 2023, strikers received emails from the University of Manchester informing them that they would be fined £25 for the delay in paying rent and threatened students with third-party debt collectors if the overdue payments were not paid by 3 April 2023. On 19 April 2023, those who did not pay the January instalment of their accommodation rent were referred to the debt collection company STA Unify.

On 31 March 2023, leaked emails showed University executives looking into the financial backgrounds of students in the rent strike group. The email chain included staff looking at the accommodation the students live in, how much they cost, and which others they applied for. Students criticised the University saying that the time would be better spent negotiating.

Repossession of occupied buildings
The University of Manchester repeatedly asked the students to leave the building, but they refused to do so. On 15 March 2023, the University of Manchester delivered a possession order to the occupiers in the Simon Building. This gave notice to the occupiers that the university had begun the process of repossessing the building to force them to leave, citing health and safety breaches as their justification. The university was granted the possession order for the entirety of the South Campus in a court hearing at Manchester High Court on 20 March 2023.

At approximately 5:21 am on 22 March 2023, bailiffs arrived to evict occupiers from the Simon Building. Several occupiers were forcibly removed from the building by bailiffs, however no arrests or fines were carried out.

The repossession has been criticised heavily by the University of Manchester Students' Union and National Union of Students, both condemning the repossession saying that the University used "excessive force" and "violence" against occupiers.

Disciplinary action
The University started disciplinary action and sent emails to 11 students involved in the John Owens occupation on 28 February 2023. The university said the students broke the "Conduct and Discipline" regulations, and specifically caused damage to the property and injuries to staff. The students later responded claiming the accusations were false. Students are being faced with expulsion or their graduation dates being delayed.

The university's actions have been criticised as the process is disrupting the students' examination season and the student group claims the university is using them as an example to deter other students from joining the strike.

Hearings for the disciplinary action begun on 7 June 2023 and the next day there was a demonstration outside the building these hearings were taking place in.

Of the 11 students who faced disciplinary action: 2 had their cases dropped completely, and the other 9 faced minor punishments such as being required to attend a fire safety training and write apology letters to the university.