The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) national chairperson, the former Labour MP Dave Nellist, today praised the Socialist Students organisation for their campaign to organise walkouts in schools and colleges on Wednesday September 17 in protest at the obscenity of the Trump state visit to the UK.

“TUSC is a coalition of trade unionists, independent socialists with their own individual members’ section, and different organisations; including Socialist Students, which joined TUSC after their conference voted to do so, in 2024”.

“TUSC’s usual practice is to leave it to the component parts of our coalition to advertise their own successes but Socialist Students really should be congratulated on the campaign they have organised since Trump’s visit was announced in July, culminating in the Wednesday walkouts and protests in schools and colleges from Plymouth to Carlisle and all points in between.  As people in Gaza starve to death, and thousands are shot as they queue for food, Trump was invited to Britain by Keir Starmer to feast at a luxury banquet at Windsor Castle.  That obscenity could not go unanswered and Socialist Students rose to the challenge”. 

“When I was an MP I supported the 1985 school student strikes organised against Margaret Thatcher’s notorious cheap labour Youth Training Scheme – being denounced by the then Labour leader Neil Kinnock for doing so – and the Socialist Students’ campaign continues that tradition.  Once again young people are showing what needs to be done”.

For more information check out the Socialist Students website at https://socialiststudents.org.uk/  ■

Online meeting after the walkout: discuss the next steps

Sunday 21 September 12pm

Zoom meeting ID: 859 2586 9207