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Zombies rise to protest tuition debt

by Natascia L

Halifax - Remember, remember, the fifth of November: gunpowder, treason and … zombies?

Guy Fawkes wasn’t a member of a student union, but today students from some of the city’s major universities vocalized their own bone to pick with the government.

The Night of the Living Debt zombie walk saw students from Dalhousie University, the University of King’s College and the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design use creativity to display their displeasure at the rising tuition fees and education debt in the province.

“It was a Halloween-themed event [planned for] the thirtieth,” said organizer JD Hutton. “The hurricane happened, but we decided the theme was still good because we’re being buried in debt, education’s being slashed and we need to rise up. It was a popular theme and we decided to run with it.”

More like plod. The group of a couple dozen agile corpses hobbled, swayed and dragged themselves along University Avenue, Summer Street and Spring Garden Road.

Rebecca Rose, a member of the Canadian Federation of Students, led the marchers in a gravelly-voiced, droning wail of, “Whaaat do you waaant? Braaaiiinnns. Whennn do you waaant it? Nowww,” and other such protest chants.

People dodging the group’s path had mixed reactions; few could get by without being handed a “Reduce tuition fees” pin or pamphlet.

Hutton said raising awareness of tuition fee debt was the main purpose the day’s event.

“We want students in the community to know that rising student debt is a social problem that needs to be fixed and it can be fixed, and we want government to hear our message and change their policies and invest in post-secondary education.”

The zombie’s final resting place was the Old Burying Ground on Barrington Street.

Hutton said he hopes events like these get more people involved in the student movement.

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