Following the Police gathering outside Athens Law School and the Athens University of Economics to prevent student occupations of the education institutions prior to the commemoration of the November 17 Athens Polytechnic uprising in 1973 earlier this morning, conflicts took place outside the Athens Polytechnic University between students and police later in the evening.
About 50 young people attempted to brake the entrance while the police made light use of tear gas and chemicals to prevent them from entering.
Earlier today…
At around 10 p.m. on Wednesday night, four police vans and seven groups of riot police gathered outside the Athens Law School and the University of Athens. The police were called by the deans of the education institutions following the Student Association’s decision for an occupation of these institutions to commemorate the uprising. On such occasions, there are scuffles and oftentimes university property is damaged. The students carrying banners and shouting slogans protested against the presence of the squad and tension escalated shortly after 8 a.m. as students clashed with police outside the Athens Law School.
The police used tear gas to disperse around 30-40 students who tried to enter the Athens Law School. The School building has remained closed since Wednesday for precautionary reasons ahead of the anniversary.
The students closed traffic around Solon and Academias streets in downtown Athens.
“Legality will be imposed because the Greek people want it; that is required by Greek taxpayers,” said government spokeswoman Sofia Voultepsi on Thursday.”Those who think that they will enforce the law of the jungle in universities, they’d better realize it once and for all: education areas is one thing and sit-in areas is quite another,” she underlined.
Security at universities is expected to escalate over the coming days.
