Hundreds call for end to violence at universities
Two weeks after a violent attack on Athens professor Angelos Syrigos on the premises of Panteion University, 2,186 academics and intellectuals have signed a joint statement condemning the assault and a recent resurgence of lawlessness on college campuses.
In a statement titled “End lawlessness in the higher education sector,” the signatories appealed to the government and the academic community to “undertake initiatives to halt the violence which is stigmatizing our state-run higher education.”
“The responsibility, ultimately, is not only that of the attackers but also all those who do not defend the public arena that is education,” the statement said.
“One can only wonder how long it will be before one of those strikes to the head turns out to be fatal,” it added.
Syrigos was hospitalized on February 15 after being attacked by a group of young men who he told off for tagging a wall at Panteion University. Two of the alleged assailants have been charged with grievous bodily harm.