Tension at Athens University

University students on Thursday, 30/10/2014 interrupted a meeting held by the institution’s Senate at the Athens University historical building in downtown Athens after invading the hall it was taking place.

Students, who were asking that all student associations participated in the meeting, blocked the hall where the meeting was taking place for about an hour and did not allow Senate members to exit the premises. The University Rector Theodoros Fortsakis had asked for the participation of one or two students in order for them to raise several issues of the students' community, mainly the security guarding of the university premises and the so-called “perennial” students.

Tension was sparked three weeks ago, when the Rectorship decided to shut the historical building’s entrances following a tip-off that a group of students was planning a sit-in protest against the assigning of the university’s security to a private company. The doors remained closed for days causing the reaction of administrative employees who work at the rectorship building.

The rectorship’s intention to install an access control system at the entrance of the university along with the rector’s complain that three SYRIZA deputies entered the building without permission escalated the tension. A group of students occupied the building, in a symbolic move that ended last Thursday.

The rectorship last Monday issued a statement noting that the practice of arbitrary blocking and interruption of teaching and administrative work in the university premises as a result of an action by groups proved to be minority ones is “a dangerous and almost consolidated example of this kind (violation of legality).” It added that the degradation of the rights of those who do not agree with such actions and the threat of violence against them are clearly beyond legality and the academic ethos.

The university’s administration added that it has been and would always be open to dialogue, which, however, called for calmness, politeness and the mutual guarantee that its participants know how to respect the law and the basic principles of democracy.

On their part, students and the administrative employees who react to the rectorship’s decision, speak of "a demonstration of intolerance and authoritarianism", while on Friday at 15.00 they plan an event at the Law School with the participation of trade unionists, administrative employees, university students and teachers.