Thousands of students marched Wednesday through the streets of central London to protest cuts to university funding and increased tuition fees.

Officials say more than 2,000 people participated in the march, but organizers estimate the totals at around 10,000.

About 4,000 police officers were deployed across the protest route to prevent a repeat in violence seen in demonstrations last year.

Last December, British lawmakers voted to allow some universities to increase fees from $5,000 to as much as $14,000.