Greek students have been protesting the scrapping of a longstanding law that enshrined university spaces as academic sanctuaries of asylum, keeping police and the military off of campuses.
Students marched in protest towards the Greek parliament before the ruling, demonstrating against the repeal.
A law with a long legacy of protecting students
The law – in force since 1982 – was overturned by Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy government last month to prevent ‘lawlessness’ on campus, leading to heated political debates between political parties, students and university staff.
It was originally introduced to protect students and forge harmony after a 1973 uprising at the Athens Polytechnic was forcefully ended by the military government, resulting in the death of dozens of protesting students.
The new Prime Minister claimed that a ‘typical student’ would see “faculties controlled by a manner of different groups, drugs, and basements full of petrol bombs and hoods.”
