London student fined £1,010 for chalk slogan protest

A student protester is arrested at ULU (Hubert Libiszewski)

A student from UCL has been fined £1,010 for writing in chalk on University of London property during a protest in July last year.

Konstancja Duff, 25, from Camberwell, was found guilty of criminal damage yesterday at Highbury Magistrates’ Court and received a three-month conditional discharge and a fine for building repairs and legal costs.

Ms Duff, who denied the charges against her, wrote “sick pay, holiday, pensions now” on a foundation stone during the demonstration supporting outsourced university employees.

The student was also found not guilty of another charge of assaulting two police officers, one inside and one just outside ULU headquarters on Malet Street, London during the same demonstration.

Dan Cooper, ULU vice president, said that the union will be contributing to the payment of Duff’s fine.

He added: “[UoL management] instructed the arrest, and have carried through with this prosecution for one reason: to ward off and silence any effective opposition to the university’s discredited plans for staff and students. It shows that the university have lost the argument.”

The University of London has declined to comment.