Mar 11, 2024
Εight students were transferred to hospitals with injuries in the head and the arms they sustained by police batons during the big protest rally against the bill for “private universities.”
The students were injured when a group of protesters clashed with riot police forces outside the Greek Parliament opposite the Syntagma Square in downtown Athens at Friday noon.
The students, all males aged 19-23, have mainly injuries on the head as well as respiratory problems due to the extensive use of tear gas.
Clashes during a protest against the government's draft law introducing private universities in #Greece, which students consider will lead to the degradation of public #education. pic.twitter.com/rPYkkz4dCJ
— Savvas Karmaniolas (@savvaskarma) March 8, 2024
While their health situation does not cause concern, they are still hospitalized on Friday evening, undergoing X-rays and checks by neurologists and ophthalmologists since the head injuries were caused by police batons. some of the injured had to receive stitches.
Other students told STAR TV that the police attack was unprovoked and that riot police beat them with clubs on their heads.
Also 6 policemen have been injured.
Protest rally
Thousands of students take to the streets to protest the government's draft law introducing private universities and what they consider a degradation of public #education in #Greece. pic.twitter.com/KcBtHl0E2P
— Savvas Karmaniolas (@savvaskarma) March 8, 2024
he incidents started when a group of protesters threw Molotov cocktail bombs at the police who responded by firing tear gas, media reported.
Earlier, unknown people had thrown Molotov cocktails at the entrance of a hotel in the area with police to have fired again tear gas.
The tension then moved to the lower side of Syntagma Square where a group of police officers on motorcycles was reportedly attacked with stones by another group.
At the same time, people wearing hoods set garbage bins on fire and damaged shops.
At around 5 p.m. the tension was diffused but students remain still in the evening outside the Parliament, where inside ruling New Democracy lawmakers are to vote in favor of the controversial bill, bypassing articles of the Greek constitution that forbids such universities in the country.
At least 8,000 demonstrators participated in the rally, while police has arrested at least 9 people.
Tension in Parliament
During the ongoing debate in the Parliament, opposition parties SYRIZA, PASOK, KKE and New Left slammed the government for the police violence against the protesting students thus causing the injury of some of them. Opposition parties spoke of “unprovoked attack” by the riot police.
Education Minister, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, responded to criticism showing a picture of police officers engulfed by flames at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliament.
Pierrakakis asked the parties to condemn the incident “within the framework of democratic legitimacy” as everyone should.
State minister, Makis Voridis, asked the parties how they adopt allegations of an “unjustified attack” without having seen the pictures after a Molotov cocktail bomb was throwing at riot police.
Traffic regulations
Police has given Stadiou Avenue back to traffic, even though traffic regulations in the center of Athens remain in effect due to parallel rallies and fatherings on the occasion of the International Women’s Day.
Metro station <Syntagma> was still closed at 8:30 in the evening.
*pictures via cnn.gr, avgi.gr, left, gr, social media
We remind our readers that publication of articles on our site does not mean that we agree with what is written. Our policy is to publish anything which we consider of interest, so as to assist our readers in forming their opinions. Sometimes we even publish articles with which we totally disagree, since we believe it is important for our readers to be informed on as wide a spectrum of views as possible.
