Edu-Factory Planning for Paris, February 11-13, 2011 A short update and contribution for the organization of the European meeting planned for 11-13 February in Paris: Although it might be somewhat superfluous to underline the political importance of creating effective networks of student struggles in Europe, I'd simply like raise a few points. First, based on Edu-Factory's experience, the possibility of gathering different student movements together for discussion, debate and organization has always proved to be a positive, constructive and stimulating way of building new relationships and connections between diverse realities. Beyond the warmth and quality in direct human interaction (never to be underestimated), the extensive common character of different movements nearly always emerges in new and sometimes unexpected forms. Small, seemingly anecdotal elements of our singular movements that are shared in these occasions can find echos in other experiences even if we didn't know that similar conditions exist elsewhere. Likewise, differences between national and cultural contexts (for example of how the Bologna Process is being applied differently in different countries) can shed light on each individual context in new ways and help provide strategies for interpreting these differences constructively and overcoming the limits and problems that we face – we learn to read our reality and other realities in new ways, we learn new languages and new translation skills.

The Antagonistic University? A Conversation on Cuts, Conviviality and Capitalism Anja: Let me begin by posing three questions. Firstly, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that modes of labour are appropriating cognitive, communicational and affective skills. What does this mean to you for the political potential of academic and collaborative work? Secondly, given that there are massive cuts being proposed to the education sector through a regime of austerity measures, and given that the current labour paradigm is one that produces precarious, alienated, competitive and individualised relations between workers, do you think that the university as an institution (and the kinds of labour it engenders) is a potent site of struggle and strike? And thirdly, what kinds of collective relations between people and modes of organising do you think are possible for the university struggles, and where do you think we should place our emphasis? How can we negotiate a transversal between micro- and macro- political desires, anxieties, exhaustions, solidarities and hopes? (Please feel free to comment on strategies you think are useful for building more caring and collective common worlds in general as well if you like).

Stronger than ever: The student movement in Croatia Marimer Berberena For the past two weeks, over 800 students have participated in the blockading of the filosofski fakultet, one of the main university buildings in Croatia's capital Zagreb. Just over two weeks ago, a plenum was held with the decision made to occupy this building, where much of the social sciences and arts/humanities teaching takes place, and to block all teaching taking place there. This might seem short-sighted at first glance, as students themselves are the first to feel the ill-effects of no teaching. But the decision was made, and was necessary to highlight how seriously students oppose the current government's attempts to create a market in education, and to make students pay for this 'privilege'. Two weeks of tuition lost to this generation of students is nothing compared to the years of university level education which many future potential students will lose as a result of not being able to afford to go to university. The blockade was impressively well organised. Students made sure the building was kept clean. The consumption of alcohol and smoking were forbidden inside the building during the blockade, and students organised themselves into groups of redari (monitors) who kept tabs on what was going on in every classroom in the building. I volunteered as a redar almost every day and it was interesting to see just how much the blockade had polarised the students and the professors. Whilst the majority of professors were in favour of the blockade, a few departments had a majority against the student action. The most significant department voting against being unsurprisingly (to those who know a little about the history of Croatia), German studies, who persistently tried to hold classes on a day to day basis. An alternative lecture programme also took place, with 3-5 guest lectures taking place on a daily basis. I gave a workshop on the commericalisation of education in the UK, with special focus on Manchester University, and how students have organised themselves against such neoliberal impositions, and crucially, how the struggles currently taking place in Manchester, Croatia, Serbia, Germany among others are connected.

Second Day of Street Protests Across Greece Libcom A second day of protest marches occupations and clashes across Greece marked the first anniversary of Alexandros Grigoropoulos murder as pupils take to the streets The second day of the anniversary of Alexandros Girgoropoulos murder was marked with protest marches, occupations and large scale riots in major greek cities. Monday was the day of pupils as pan-educational marches against police brutality and in memory of Alexis were staged in all major greek cities