The recent assault of a canteen manager by a 34-year-old doctoral student at Athens’ Polytechnic university campus in Zografou has drawn renewed attention to the growing concerns over violence at Greek universities. The incident, which occurred when the canteen manager attempted to prevent the student from putting up a poster on the canteen’s window without permission, was captured on video and has since gone viral.
The 34-year-old, who was arrested after fleeing the scene, is expected to appear before the prosecutor on Thursday (May 7). The canteen manager, Georgia Tyrou, recounted the incident to Greek media, stating, “I was subjected to violence, and I refuse to stay silent about it. I don’t want to teach my children that we should remain silent in the face of violence.”
The investigation into the canteen assault continues, with authorities looking into whether the student and his associates were involved in other acts of violence or organized criminal activity. The arrested suspect is expected to face charges of assault and property damage.
Pattern of Violence in Greek Educational Institutions
The attack at the Polytechnic campus is not an isolated incident. Over the past two years, Greek universities have increasingly become hotspots for violent incidents involving students, activists, and even organized crime groups. Vandalism, physical assaults, and property damage have been reported across multiple campuses, raising concerns about student and staff safety. In response to these escalating incidents, the Greek government has again intensified its efforts to combat campus violence. The crackdown follows the 2021 abolition of the so-called “asylum of lawlessness,” a policy that had previously restricted police from entering university campuses, effectively allowing universities to become hubs of criminal activities which went unchecked.
Just days before the incident at the Polytechnic, a graduate student at Athens University Law School was violently attacked by hooded individuals on campus. A witness of the unprovoked attack said the student has “survived out of sheer luck”. The attack prompted an emergency meeting at Greece’s Maximos Mansion, chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to address escalating campus violence.
At the Maximos Mansion meeting, the government emphasized that recent measures to dismantle illegal occupations of university buildings and facilities and to enforce security plans at universities have set a new precedent. According to government sources, the keyword underpinning future interventions will be “consequences” — encompassing legal, disciplinary, and civil repercussions for perpetrators, as well as universities that fail to enforce security protocols.
National Strategy to Combat Violence and Juvenile Delinquency
On May 5, the Greek government presented its National Strategy for the Prevention of Violence and the Response to Juvenile Delinquency during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mitsotakis. The strategy introduces 29 new policies and 69 measures, including five cross-sectoral initiatives, and also seeks to address bullying.
Among the most prominent measures are the “Kids Wallet,” a tool allowing parents to monitor and control their children’s internet use, and “Age Verification,” a mechanism designed to verify users’ ages on digital platforms. The concept of “digital adulthood” is set at 15 years of age.
Minister of State Akis Skertsos noted that since 2019, the government has implemented 139 policies to prevent violence across ten ministries. Building on this groundwork, the new strategy aims to strengthen legal and disciplinary measures while also addressing the influence of digital technologies on youth behavior.
