Students from Basingstoke added their voices to the clamour against massive rises in university tuition fees last week.
Over 50 youngsters from Queen Mary's College (QMC) in Basingstoke joined 50,000 students from across the country on a march through Westminster.
They were joined by other schools from across the borough, including Basingstoke College of Technology and Farnborough College of Technology.
The National Union of Students spearheaded the protest last week as youngsters voiced their disapproval after government ministers announced plans to allow universities in England to charge tuition fees of up to £9,000 per year.
Dale Steanson, a QMC politics, economics and modern history student, was among a group that took the day off school to join the march.
The 17-year-old said: “We think it's a complete injustice that by virtue of a few minutes of when you were born then some people will have to pay three times more in fees.
“The increase in fees is only a short-term fix for a long-term problem.”
The demonstration was overshadowed by violence as a minority of protesters smashed their way into the Conservative Party headquarters in Millbank Tower.
Sol Hallam, president of QMC's Student Union, said that no students from the college were involved in the violence.
The 17-year-old then slammed the action of a few rowdies.
He said: “I think generally violence is never a good thing. I do not think they should have smashed up the Tory head quarters. The day should have been seen as important simply by the fact that over 50,000 students marched. However, the protests would not have otherwise made quite the news splash the next day.”
Aspiring medical student Andy McKay said he was marching because if the fees go up he will be hit heavily by mounting debt over the six-year period of his course.
“We all agree that this country needs doctors for the future, but if it is putting us in so much debt then it is going to put people like me off,” he said.
The placard-waving students said they hoped the Government would sit up and take notice of the protest.
Mr Hallam added: “The day was important to go to because as students many of us can't vote. This is the only means we have to express our opinions about this issue.”
