The Greek Minister of Education, Sofia Zacharaki, said any students involved in violent incidents would lose their status immediately in the government’s efforts to clamp down on attacks on Greek university campuses. Speaking to public broadcaster ERT, the minister revealed a set of strict new measures aimed at addressing violence in Greek universities.
The initiative comes in light of the most recent violent attacks by mask-clad individuals on two occasions in the space of only a few days. One was at the Law School of the University of Athens during a career-days event, which left one student injured, and a second was at the Polytechnic campus when a canteen employee was attacked by a group of twenty persons wearing bike helmets.
At the core of the tougher measures is an automatic expulsion system for students found guilty of participating in violent incidents, alongside the introduction of a university entry card system to control campus access.
The minister stated unequivocally that students proven—through judicial processes—to have been involved in such events would not only lose their student status but may also be held financially responsible for any damages incurred.
She emphasized the collective responsibility to protect public higher education institutions, which, she noted, the state supports with significant resources. While acknowledging that not all perpetrators of campus violence are students—some may be outsiders—Zacharaki stressed the government’s intent to reinforce existing legislation to ensure clear consequences.
She explained the goal of implementing the measures was to streamline the system for dealing with violent incidents, saying the current procedures were time-consuming.
“We will make it easier for those in charge to act, with penalties graded according to each case,” she said.
Zacharaki also endorsed the implementation of controlled entry systems using access cards at universities, calling it a “global best practice.”
“I am in favor of controlled entry, where feasible, as is already the case in many European and international institutions,” she noted.
She further assured that the government would utilize the full capacity of the state budget to upgrade campus security and referred to this period as a “historic opportunity” to revise and improve university legislation based on lessons from recent years.
