Hundreds of protestors occupied the Senate House lawn and attempted to storm the building as part of a national demonstration against spending cuts and the rise in tuition fees.

The protest, organised by Cambridge Defend Education, included students from the University of Cambridge, as well as a number of sixth formers and secondary school students and University staff.

After marching relatively peacefully through Cambridge, around four hundred protestors congregated outside Senate House.

Police deployed on the scene stood by as protestors began to climb over the railings onto the private University property of the Senate House Lawn.

The police appeared unprepared for the numbers and strength of feeling among demonstrators.

When asked by a Varsity reporter, why they were not doing more to prevent students trespassing, one policeman commented, “Have you seen how many of them there are? There were only six of us initially, now there are about fifteen.”

Another added, “They are just sitting on a piece of grass.”

Protestors on the inside encouraged others to scale the fence. A ladder was even set up to enable more people to climb over.

A number of protestors on the lawn got into a scuffle with police, and it is believed that one protestor was arrested as a result.

Protestors gathered in the centre of the lawn to decide what direction the demonstration would take next.

There was consensus that they should stand in solidarity with all those affected by cuts and that a demand should be made of the University to come out in opposition of the cuts.

In exclusive footage obtained by Varsity, protestors can be seen to make a “collective decision” to “escalate” the demonstration by marching towards the entrance of Senate House.

A member of Cambridge Defend Education told Varsity, “We all made suggestions to do with why we were there and what we were hoping to achieve. We arrived at a consensus as a group that we wanted to make a demand of the University to make statement to oppose spending cuts.

“Storming the buildings was more of a symbolic gesture and a demonstration of the strength of feeling among the group.”

Protestors surged forward amid chants of “no ifs, no buts, no education cuts” but soon began chants of “let us in, let us in” and “we are peaceful, what are you?” as protestors clashed with police stationed outside the doors.

By this stage, fifteen police vehicles arrived on the scene, as students scaled the wall and pushed forward against a line of police in an attempt to enter the building.

Police resorted to the use of their batons to hold back the crowd of students, leading to some minor injuries and accusations of police brutality from protestors.

A spokesperson from Cambridge Defend Education said, "Today we saw an incredibly inspiring demonstration of resistance in Cambridge. However, the protests were marred by police aggression and brutality against student protesters.

“When the University should have been supporting the students’ message against cuts and fees, they instead invited the police onto the University grounds, where a number of students were injured in unprovoked assaults.

“However, we will continue to protest and take action against the destruction of our education system."

A University spokesperson told Varsity, “The University is pleased that the demonstration went safely and relatively peacefully and that there was no disorder or injuries.

“The University decided not to intervene and let the students demonstrate out of concern for their safety.”

One Cambridge local and veteran protestor commented, “I am amazed at the timidity of students these days. Most of the people here today weren’t even Cambridge University students.

“Where are you? There are 30,000 students. Most of you are in your nice student digs because your parents are willing to pay £9,000 a year.”

Juan Zober de Francisco spoke out against the aggressive turn that the demonstration took.

He told Varsity, “The point was already made. You do not have to storm the building to show the University you care. I think they are hijacking the cause.”

Alice Clarkson, a student from Long Road Sixth Form College, commented, “I don’t think aggressive methods are good, but you need to do something to get them to notice you. As long as nobody is getting hurt it’s ok.”

Jacob Wills, a member of the campaign, told Varsity, “Just getting five-hundred people sitting down in a mass meeting is an achievement with itself. It proves that we’re here to make concrete political demands of those in power.”

Hundreds of Sixth Form students, who staged a walk-out today from their colleges in the Cambridge area, made up the majority of protestors.

Students as young as twelve, from Coleridge Secondary School also left their lessons to join the protest, despite legal requirements that they should be in school.

Two fourteen-year-old students told Varsity that they decided to leave class when they saw the protest marching past their school.

According to them, “We were in the classroom when we saw the protestors going past. We knew what it was about, and so wanted to be involved. Students from all different classes got up to join in.

“When we got up to leave, the teachers tried to stop us but in the end they couldn’t keep us there. We’ll probably get in trouble for it but I don’t care - it’s our future.”

Around ten secondary school students were spotted and stopped by the police during the march, and were escorted back to school.

The protest was part of a nation-wide demonstration against cuts.

Students around the country also staged demonstrations with some occupying University buildings. 70 people occupied the Bodleian library in Oxford.