Hi °C | Lo °C 
I, like many of my fellow students, attended the USI march in Dublin city to voice my dissatisfaction at the prospect of the proposed hike in registration fees and possible cuts to third-level grants.
I do not believe that any student who attended this protest arrived at Government Buildings with violent intentions.
When 15,000 pensioners marched on Leinster House in 2008 were they met with the same garda force as the students encountered on Wednesday as the protest was concluding?
When those pensioners stood up to a Government threatening them with cuts they were regarded as being brave and merry.
Yet when students embark upon the same journey they are branded as disgraceful and violent.
Both groups had extremists in their midst who did bring shame upon their causes.
On Thursday, November 4, your newspaper published images of the student protest march.
The biggest of these was a snapshot of the large group of protesting students making their way along Merrion Street.
The students in this picture are good-humoured, happy and smiling, some joyfully chatting to their fellow marchers.
Not a garda in sight.
The other four images show violent clashes that occurred between gardai and supposed students.
It was one of these four images that left me with an ill feeling in the pit of my stomach.
A garda in full riot gear with a raised baton and a murderous look in his eye.
And the student? A mere hand raised in self-defence.
I beg anyone to look at this image and tell me wholeheartedly that the violent scenes that occurred can be wholly contributed to students, that they themselves would not be intimidated if they were confronted by this man.
I am proud to say I am a student but I am ashamed of those people, who were not necessarily students, who brought violence to a peaceful cause.
If there were another protest would I attend?
Most definitely.
This is a cause which should not be taken lightly and the efforts of the peaceful majority yesterday should not go unnoticed.
Ciara Dower
Waterford City
Irish Independent
