An affront to history

Sadness is really the only thing you can feel when looking at the sorry state of the building which today houses the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), what used to be the Athens Polytechnic, in the city center.

There was a time not so long ago when it symbolized the dynamic and idealistic reaction of the country’s young people against the 1967-74 military dictatorship, beyond political parties and political machinations.

Now it has been left prey to not only local hooligans but also troublemakers from elsewhere in Europe who are engaged in a form of “revolutionary tourism” at our expense and is nothing but a haven for serious criminals of many different kinds.

It is time for a permanent solution that will safeguard this building’s important historical character from the vandals who have occupied it, and the idea of joining it to the National Archaeological Museum would certainly help upgrade the neighborhood – which has also suffered a lot from the situation at the campus – and protect the NTUA’s cultural and political heritage.