The centre of Oxford came to a halt as Students protested at being charged fees for their college education.

Mounted police flanked a noisy column of 300 protesters who marched through the city centre in support of three Oxford students expelled at the weekend for not paying their bills.

Sacha Ismail, of Somerville College, and James Rowland and John Steward of Pembroke, had already been suspended for failing to pay up. The marchers, whose supporters included students from several Oxford colleges, Oxford Brookes University, the Oxford University Labour Club, the Young Communists' League, and the Oxford and District Trades Union Council, were filmed by tourists and sightseers as they marched from Broad Street into Cornmarket, High Street and Longwall Street.

Back in Broad Street, several speakers addressed the rally, including Andrew Pakes, president of the National Union of Students, Lee Sergeant from the Campaign for Free Education, and non-payer, Ms Ismail.

Story date: Monday 14 February

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