The masked attackers who, on Wednesday night, stormed into an event at the Law School, seriously injuring a PhD student with a fire extinguisher, had violent intentions. According to Professor Ioannis Mazis, they shouted, “You’re done!”

Describing the attack, which lasted “7-8 minutes,” Mr. Mazis said that “the student tried to push them away but was outnumbered—eight against one.” Another eyewitness told SKAI that “they hit him all over his body, mainly on the head, with helmets and batons.”

After being injured, the student was taken to the “Red Cross” hospital, where he received stitches and underwent a CT scan.

The bloody invasion during the “Career Days” event organized by DAP was announced by Professor Konstantinos Grivas in a post, noting that the masked attackers also assaulted Professor George Fili.

Martyr of the Professor Saridakis
“We were on a break from the event, which had started about two hours earlier,” described Professor Yiannis Saridakis of the Department of Turkish and Asian Studies to protothema.gr. “We went out into the corridor with Professors Mazis, Grivas, and Fili when suddenly we saw the group of unknown individuals in front of us. They were all dressed in black, with helmets and full face masks. They entered the hall where about 50-60 people were present, attacking with fire extinguishers. The PhD student tried to stop them. He was badly hit. The room was filled with blood. They said nothing. They climbed the four stairs. Their goal was violence—they didn’t say anything, and it didn’t seem they had a specific target. They entered, attacked, and left. They were probably acting as a hit squad rather than anti-authoritarians.”

Mr. Saridakis emphasizes that if the invasion had happened a little earlier, before the break, things could have been worse, as some students had already left, leaving the back seats of the hall empty when the masked attackers entered. The “Career Days” event was organized by DAP, included speeches, and was attended by students across party lines.

Professor Grivas’ Post
“During the ‘Career Days’ event, just before the scheduled discussion, a group of about ten individuals with covered faces—wearing masks and helmets—stormed the venue violently and attacked the attendees without provocation.”

The event was attended by Professors Kostas Grivas, Ioannis Mazis, George Fili, among others, as mentioned in the post.

Ministry of Education on the Attack
Regarding what happened at the Law School, the Ministry of Education issued a statement:

“The leadership of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports unequivocally condemns the criminal invasion by masked individuals at an event held at the Law School of the University of Athens. During the attack, a PhD student was injured, and members of the academic staff and students participating in the event were assaulted.

Such vile acts of violence and intimidation belong only to fascist practices and have no place in public universities, as they grossly insult academic freedom and the fundamental rights of every individual.

The leadership of the Ministry of Education expresses full support to the victims of the attack and awaits a prompt and thorough investigation by the competent authorities so that those responsible for these heinous acts are brought before justice.”

DAPP Law School Post
In a post, DAP Law School condemns the violent attack outright and emphasizes that “today marks a dark page for Greek public universities.”

The post states:
“Today is a dark day for Greek public universities. We strongly condemn the violent attack against students and professors by masked individuals during a DAP-NDFAK Turkish Studies event. A postgraduate student was injured and taken to hospital, once again proving that the fanaticism of a minority does not hesitate to turn even against the physical integrity of those who disagree with them.

Those responsible for this attack are not only targeting us—they target democracy itself, free dialogue, and academic freedom. They will not silence us. We do not fear, we do not remain silent, and we do not back down.

No ‘political opinion’ should be turned into violence and bullying.

On May 14th, students have the power to respond. The silent majority must become loud. Say a clear ‘no’ to fear and ‘yes’ to reason, progress, and safety. Support the only faction fighting daily for a modern, free, and European university, DAP-NDFAK.

Democracy cannot be extorted.
The university cannot be silenced.
On May 14th, true students will give their answer.

We respond to violence and terrorism with democracy!”