Copenhagen: 40,000 Students on the Streets for the right to Student Grants

We hereby share an unofficial translation of an article published by Roede Fane on November 5.

On Wednesday, November 4, 40,000 students took to the streets to protest against the cuts in student grants that the government has proposed in the new budget bill.

According to the government’s new proposal, student grant will be eliminated for all students living at home whose parents have a total annual income of 710,000 DKK [translators note: around 105,818 USD] before tax, which means that around 55 percent of student grant recipients living at home will lose their right to student grants completely. In addition, the government will lower student grant by progressive lowering, starting with families with a total income of 420,000 DKK [translators note: around 62,596 USD] per year before tax. This means that in the future, only students with families who earn less than 420,000 DKK per year will be entitled to full student grants as we know it today. In addition, the government also plans to eliminate the right of graduates to unemployment benefits when they are recent graduates, unless they have worked an average of 4 hours a week for 18 months alongside their studies.

In the new budget bill, the government has explained that it is eliminating student grants for those who do not need them by targeting only high-income families. DKK 710,000 per year corresponds to a family where both partners earn just under 30,000 per month before tax, but the government does not take into account disparities in expenses and the rising cost of living. Not only are high fuel prices once again inflating inflation and the prices of energy and food, the rent price per square meter in the Capital Region for the same type of apartment has increased by 19 percent for public housing and 48 percent for private landlords. In addition to this, the housing price for apartments in the Capital Region has increased by 500 to 900 percent in the past 30 years. A family can certainly afford their child’s school supplies if they live in a more affordable place, but it is not uncommon for families to live in situations where one partner’s entire income goes exclusively toward rent or toward paying interest and other fixed expenses.

Across the country, high school students in particular have gone on strike, barricaded entrances to their schools, and organized protests in several of the country’s major cities. A wide range of labor unions have supported the students in their strike.

In Copenhagen, 40,000 students marched from Rådhuspladsen to Christiansborg. The angry students chanted slogans such as “Enough is enough!” and “student grants now!”

We have received a report that Rødt Fællesskab [translators note: Red Unity] was also present during the demo with a 7-meter wide banner that read “Our rights are defended through struggle” and “Preserve student grants or we’ll do as they did in France!”.

During the demonstration, the flag of the International Anti-Imperialist League (AIL) could also be seen.

Some will argue that Student grant won’t disappear for those who need it most, but they forget that if we don’t defend the rights we already have and fight for new ones, the ruling class will take away even more rights during the next crisis. The State’s long-term goal in dismantling the welfare State is to transform the student grants from a grant into a student loan; removing the student grants from the majority of students living at home is yet another step in this direction and must be fought with resistance.