The CUSU Council has voted to support the occupation of Old Schools.

In a meeting which took place earlier this evening, two motions were passed in solidarity with the demonstration.

The first pledged to write a formal letter on behalf of CUSU in support of the occupation, to be sent to all relevant university staff and bodies. The second resolved 'to publicly support the continued occupation of the University Combination Room in the Old Schools', to 'support executive officers who wish to take part in the occupation in an official capacity', and to 'represent any student who faces disciplinary action as a result of the occupation'.

The first motion passed with some difficulty, whilst the second passed with a strong majority. A sticking point for some was the concern felt by certain college representatives about whether it would be wise for the CUSU to support 'the individual gains of the occupants'.

"Protests can become violent," one speaker warned. Others, however, pointed out that the motions stipulated the peaceful nature of the occupation.

One college representative argued that to support the protest would simply be fulfilling the existing CUSU commitments to free education.

"I really don't know what you people are afraid of," one demonstrator who was present at the meeting said. "We need a mass movement not just against education cuts, but against cuts in general."

Adam Booth, a protestor and student at Robinson College, proposed the first motion. He told Varsity afterwards that he was generally happy that his motion had passed.

The motion included a commitment on the part of CUSU to work with local anti-spending cut campaigns in order to organise city-wide public assemblies to facilitate a mass movement against the cuts.

Booth was, however, disappointed at the removal of two resolves from the first motion: that which condemned police violence against peaceful protestors, and another which sought to 'co-ordinate with all trade unions at Cambridge University in order to organise for the ballot a one-day university-wide strike by staff and students in Lent Term'.

"The organisation of a ballot for a strike was the most important point in the motion," he said. "Other avenues have been closed, and peaceful protests will only get us so far."

"One strike would be better than ten protests," Booth said. "It's the only thing the university and the government will listen to ... we have to hit them en masse and where it hurts."