Ed Miliband said the recent protests were an "indication" of public anger Ed Miliband has declined to rule out joining future protests against tuition fees increases, saying public anger over the issue is "quite justified".
The Labour leader told the BBC he "applauded" peaceful protests, saying he was "tempted" to talk to students who took to the streets on Wednesday.
Asked about what he would do in future, he said "we'll see what happens".
Mr Miliband backed a graduate tax, although Labour has yet to agree a detailed policy on student finance.
It is launching a two year policy review on Saturday, which Mr Miliband has said will start with a blank piece of paper.
In an interview on Radio Four's Today programme, Mr Miliband was asked whether he agreed with Labour MP David Winnick who said Wednesday's protest in central London, which led to 35 arrests and thousands of pounds of damage, was "marvellous".
Mr Miliband said he was "obviously" not in favour of violent protests but he understood the depth of anger that people felt about rising tuition fees and cuts in university budgets.
"I was quite tempted to go out and talk to them [protesters]," he said.
"I applaud people young people who peacefully demonstrate. I said I was going to talk to them at some point, I was tempted to go out and talk to them."
Asked whether he would do so in future, he said "we'll see what happens".
But asked whether he would actually lead a march in sympathy with students, he said "don't overdo it".
The protests were "an indication of what is happening to this country", Mr Miliband added.
"I think peaceful demonstrations are part of our society and of course as Labour leader I am willing to talk to people who are part of those demonstrations.
"People have a sense of anger and a lot of the anger is quite justified. A government came in, it made a series of promises and it is breaking those promises. It is going to make life a lot harder for a lot of people up and down the country."
Mr Miliband said he backed a graduate tax as an alternative to the proposed doubling of tuition fees as it would be fairer and based on ability to pay.
However, shadow chancellor Alan Johnson, who introduced tuition fees as an education minister, has spoken out against a graduate tax and said the policy has yet to be decided.
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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-politics-11845176
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