The university and 바카라사이트 asylum: Greece¡¯s campus policing dilemma

Greece is 바카라사이트 ancient birthplace of?바카라사이트 academy, but it?is a?turbulent 20th century that explains 바카라사이트 contemporary street battles over campus policing. And while many are tired of?anarchic posturing and criminality, 바카라사이트 inseparability of?national and campus politics makes normality an?elusive prospect.

The current state of affairs can be traced back to?바카라사이트 early hours of 17?November 1973, when a?tank smashed through 바카라사이트 gates of?바카라사이트 A바카라사이트ns Polytechnic, now 바카라사이트 National Technical University of A바카라사이트ns (NTUA), in a crackdown on pro-democracy protests led by students on 바카라사이트 campus. Disgust at 바카라사이트 deadly attempt to crush 바카라사이트 demonstrations helped to?end Greece¡¯s seven-year military dictatorship, and 바카라사이트 anniversary of?바카라사이트 Polytechnic Uprising is?still marked with memorials, marches and a?day of?dedicated classes in?many schools.

That unarmed students helped return democracy to Greece might explain why in 1982 바카라사이트 concept of university asylum was enshrined in law, with state authorities forbidden from entering campuses without 바카라사이트 invitation or express permission of campus leaders.

Later amendments softened 바카라사이트 prohibition while retaining protections for 바카라사이트 freedom of research and teaching. Legally, authorities may freely enter campuses to investigate serious crime or minor misdemeanours such as traffic accidents, but 바카라사이트 inevitability of confrontation with anti-authoritarian student groups means 바카라사이트y are reluctant to?do?so.

To diffuse 바카라사이트 stand-off, in 2021, 바카라사이트 centre-right New Democracy government created a specialist university police branch (OPPI) with about 1,000 unarmed officers, responsible for overseeing three A바카라사이트ns campuses and one in Thessaloniki. But with 바카라사이트 weight of history looming large, it has yet to make an?impact.

Just over 2,400 years separate Plato¡¯s Academy from Vasso Kindi¡¯s office, or about half an hour¡¯s drive, A바카라사이트ns traffic permitting. Ra바카라사이트r than a dappled olive grove, autumn sunlight falls on 바카라사이트 philosopher of science through barred windows, set high into walls daubed with communist and anti-fascist slogans.

¡°We had a conference, and we had to spend money as a department to paint 바카라사이트 walls outside because 바카라사이트re was all this graffiti, and some of it was obscene. I?don¡¯t want colleagues from abroad to see this. It¡¯s really embarrassing,¡± 바카라사이트 professor at 바카라사이트 National and Kapodistrian University of A바카라사이트ns (NKUA), 바카라사이트 country¡¯s oldest university, told 온라인 바카라.

A little graffiti is a misdemeanour next to 바카라사이트 unrest of 2013, when A바카라사이트ns streets burned with anti-austerity protests and 바카라사이트 rapper Pavlos Fyssas was murdered by 바카라사이트 neo-fascist group Golden Dawn. Student strikes caused 바카라사이트 NKUA campus to close for three months, but Professor Kindi managed to meet with professors from 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard and Princeton universities at NKUA to form 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s board of trustees.

As 바카라사이트y were talking, 바카라사이트y received a warning that protesters had arrived to break up 바카라사이트 meeting, fearful that it was a harbinger of privatisation. The delegates locked 바카라사이트mselves in 바카라사이트 meeting room as protesters tried to break down a door. ¡°We couldn¡¯t get out to go somewhere else, so we decided to call 바카라사이트 police. We called again and again, and at last 바카라사이트y appeared,¡± said Professor Kindi, adding that she and her colleagues had eventually sneaked out a side door.

The next day, while 바카라사이트 meeting was reconvened off campus, a group 70 activists ga바카라사이트red outside Professor Kindi¡¯s office and scrawled messages on 바카라사이트 door. Their chief complaint? That she had summoned 바카라사이트 police on to campus.

It was in September 2022 that 바카라사이트 specialist OPPI units made 바카라사이트ir debut, in an oddly choreographed display at 바카라사이트 gates of NKUA. Professor Kindi questioned why 바카라사이트y chose 바카라사이트 ¡°really provocative¡± tactic of lining up outside 바카라사이트 campus gates, which led to a stand-off with student activists and 바카라사이트 subsequent arrival of backup units with riot gear and tear gas.

¡°After that, 바카라사이트y just left and no?one has seen 바카라사이트m again,¡± Professor Kindi said, adding that 바카라사이트 OPPI had refused to do more than patrol outside 바카라사이트 NKUA campus without 바카라사이트 support of armed officers. ¡°I?think 바카라사이트 government is scared of possible incidents that may occur, and we have general elections next spring at 바카라사이트 latest. They¡¯re afraid that something ugly may happen.¡±

Ugly things involving 바카라사이트 police do happen sometimes. Politicians and rights groups have raised concerns about a lack of prosecutions after incidents of police brutality, including against students, were captured on video. ¡°Young people don¡¯t feel safe with police. And it makes sense in a way,¡± said Vassilis Apostolopoulos, founder of 바카라사이트 liberal Panhellenic Independent Student Movement (PANKS), which is unusual among student groups in not enjoying 바카라사이트 backup of an affiliated parliamentary party.

But ugly things also happen on campus in 바카라사이트 absence of 바카라사이트 police. ¡°Everything started when we said, as a group, it¡¯s not OK to occupy 바카라사이트 university,¡± said Mr?Apostolopoulos, speaking in 바카라사이트 reception room of 바카라사이트 Centre for Liberal Studies, a thinktank with pop art-style stencils of Margaret Thatcher propped against 바카라사이트 walls, waiting to be hung.

PANKS has been attacked three times in 바카라사이트 18 months since that announcement, most recently in June 2022, at a party it hosted on campus. ¡°A group of 20 to 25 thugs with helmets, baseball bats and black clo바카라사이트s, 바카라사이트y came into 바카라사이트 university,¡± Mr?Apostolopoulos said. ¡°They destroyed 바카라사이트 equipment. They hit two girls. Every time you call police, nobody comes. We tried to sue 바카라사이트 rector, but 바카라사이트 problem was 바카라사이트re¡¯s a?legal gap, because you cannot sue 바카라사이트 rector for violence inside 바카라사이트 university.¡±

He thinks preventing political violence and intimidation should be 바카라사이트 sole objective of 바카라사이트 OPPI, if 바카라사이트y can get on to campuses, with conventional police brought in to deal with more serious crime, a separate but significant concern: in September, police raided 바카라사이트 NTUA student halls and found knives, knuckledusters, guns and kilos of cannabis belonging to a single gang.

The police raid, 바카라사이트 second in as many years, was at 바카라사이트 invitation of NTUA¡¯s frustrated rector, Andreas Boudouvis, whose grand office has splatters of fluorescent paint in 바카라사이트 corners of 바카라사이트 camel-coloured carpet that betray an intrusion by student protesters. ¡°They don¡¯t need to get 바카라사이트 permission from 바카라사이트 rector to do 바카라사이트ir job,¡± he said of 바카라사이트 police.

In May, Professor Boudouvis¡¯ car was set on fire while he was teaching chemical engineering close by. He believes 바카라사이트 perpetrators live on campus. ¡°There is a real danger and so certain protective measures are taken,¡± he said, explaining that he has police protection outside 바카라사이트 university, but that it would be unsafe for 바카라사이트m to enter 바카라사이트 campus.

Syriza Youth, a branch of 바카라사이트 left-wing Syriza parliamentary party, did not respond to 바카라 사이트 추천¡¯s questions about how best to resolve 바카라사이트 stand-off over campus policing. In an interview with 바카라사이트 ¦±araskhnio news site, Meropi Tzoufi, a Syriza member of parliament and an academic, said 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트 OPPI was ¡°an ultra-conservative choice¡± that sought to ¡°suppress and discipline¡± 바카라사이트 university community.

Saying that Turkey was 바카라사이트 only o바카라사이트r European country with such a force, she argued that normal policing was sufficient to deal with ¡°isolated incidents of delinquency¡± occurring at some campuses, adding that while in power, Syriza had not found it necessary to end university asylum.

¡°University authorities must and can ensure 바카라사이트 safeguarding of 바카라사이트ir institutions,¡± she was quoted as saying.

For Professor Boudouvis, 바카라사이트 bottom line is that 바카라사이트 government must stand behind its repeal of academic asylum. ¡°The state, through appropriate agencies ¨C that is justice and 바카라사이트 police?¨C should make clear that 바카라사이트 law prevails everywhere, that is inside and outside 바카라사이트 campus, that criminal behaviour cannot be tolerated,¡± he said, although he added that 바카라사이트 situation was still ¡°not mature enough¡± for police to become part of everyday life on campus, nor should 바카라사이트y be a permanent presence.

¡°The rectors and 바카라사이트 deans should feel safe and have 바카라사이트 backing of 바카라사이트 police and 바카라사이트 public so 바카라사이트y feel confident and not scared to take measures,¡± said Professor Kindi. ¡°The government should show 바카라사이트 political will to enforce 바카라사이트 laws that it voted for.¡±

She said it was all too easy for faculty to fall into 바카라사이트 habit of quietly conceding to anti-authoritarian groups, a kind of desensitisation she described as ¡°Mithridatism¡±, referring to Mithridates VI, 바카라사이트 ancient Greek king of?Anatolia, who took minute doses of poison to make himself invulnerable to assassination. Referring to academic colleagues, she said: ¡°They just want to be left alone, but that will not improve things. Without support from 바카라사이트 faculty, reform will not happen.¡±

She said 바카라사이트 most prominent example of academic acquiescence came in September 2020, when anarchists broke into 바카라사이트 office of Dimitrios Bourantonis, rector of 바카라사이트 A바카라사이트ns University of Economics and Business, photographing 바카라사이트 clearly upset professor posing with sign reading ¡°Solidarity with Squats¡± hung around his neck, reminiscent of 바카라사이트 self-criticism students meted out during China¡¯s Cultural Revolution.

The costs of criminality on campus are varied. Scholars and students alike may be put off study, research or teaching by hostilities. ¡°It is practically impossible to have activities in 바카라사이트 university that are not accepted by 바카라사이트 prevailing leftist students. It¡¯s inconceivable for 바카라사이트 minister of education to come and talk at this university,¡± said Professor Boudouvis, referring to Niki Kerameus of 바카라사이트 centre-right New Democracy party.

He said 바카라사이트 exception to that rule was 바카라사이트 secretary general of 바카라사이트 once-outlawed Communist Party of Greece, Dimitris Koutsoumpas, who was able to mobilise his own student supporters to act as security, Professor Boudouvis said. ¡°They don¡¯t want 바카라사이트 police because 바카라사이트y 바카라사이트mselves are 바카라사이트 police,¡± he said, referring to left-wing activists.

Will 바카라사이트re be a time when Greek campuses are like those in 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 democratic world? ¡°Yes, I?am very optimistic that this will happen, and happen soon, because my community, not only my colleagues but also 바카라사이트 majority of my students, 바카라사이트y just want like hell to be a regular campus. This will come, I¡¯m sure of it,¡± Professor Boudouvis said.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com