A university vice-chancellor has been caught on tape calling his own students “yobs” yesterday, as he spoke at an inquiry into the right to protest on campus.

Warwick University’s head Nigel Thrift seemed to forget he was being recorded during the Summit on Protest last Thursday.
Protesters from Warwick for Free Education (WFFE) and other campaigns attended the event where last year’s scenes of police brutality towards students were being discussed.

As the event came to an end Mr Thrift is heard whispering to another panelist: “This shows you what we’re dealing with.
“These are just yobs.”

In a statement WFFE said: “This comment distills the patronising and dismissive attitude sustained by management throughout the entire summit and demonstrates the total contempt they feel for their students.

“Nigel’s comments are symptomatic of the lack of regard shown toward students, increasingly conceived of as nothing more than passive consumers.”