It threatened to be a throwback to the notorious Paris demonstrations of the 1960s. Hundreds of angry students turning out in solidarity with six rebels refusing to pay tuition fees.

But although more than 1,500 students took to the streets, there were no arrests, hardly any swear words and even a smooth end to the one incident that might have got out of hand.

The students braved freezing conditions to gather at The Plain for the march on the city centre. Among them were five of the six non-payers, hundreds of their Oxford colleagues, hundreds more from other universities, scores of police and journalists and the odd MP.

The noisy march itself, led by police on horseback, drew bemused glances from motorists and shoppers as the crowd moved off over Magdalen Bridge, down the High Street and into Cornmarket Street.

Ringleaders with megaphones encouraged the masses to turn up the heat by encouraging Mr Blair to "stick his education fees" somewhere unmentionable.

Police monitoring the group quickly stepped in and explained that wasn't the Oxford way and the chant quickly switched to: "They say cutbacks, we say fight back."

These marchers, after all, were hardly tomorrow's hardline revolutionaries. They are much more likely to become the next generation of spin doctors. The march stopped on several occasions along Cornmarket Street to allow everyone to keep up and a series of sit-down protests took place. Any alarm caused by the ringleaders announcing, "Public watch out, we're about to go on the rampage" proved unfounded as the "rampage" turned into more of a light-hearted scamper for a few yards. The police horses kept their footing and seemed only mildly irritated.

Up to then, the marchers maintained an impressive restraint but temperatures began to rise when the crowd stopped outside the university offices in Wellington Square.

While many moved on to a planned rally at the Martyrs' Memorial in St Giles, a group of about 100 surged towards the main entrance and began banging on the glass.

While staff looked out with trepidation, a series of surges led police to step in, forming a line in front of the doors and quickly restoring order.

For the police and university officials keeping step with the demonstration it seemed all in a day's work.

One member of the university police did not even have time to discuss the occasion. "Got to get this lot off to bed," he grumbled.

Story date: Saturday 23 January

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