A big police operation is underway at the Athens Law School on Tuesday to evict students who have occupied the building in downtown Athens in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The operation was carried out with riot police and state security who entered the building on Tuesday morning and in the presence of a prosecutor. the eviction took place with the consent of the rector of the School.
Police reportedly gave first a deadline to students to abandon the building but they refused to do so.
A total of 27 people have been detained so far.
There have been approximately 40 students inside the building since Monday night.
The detainees have been evicted while other students had gathered outside the building shouting slogans in solidarity.
They have called for a gathering at 1 p.m. outside the Police Headquarters on Alexandras Avenue where the 27 have been brought.
It is up to the Law School Rector to decided whether the 27 will be prosecuted.
Banner: “How do you attend classes today. remember… in Gaza no universities have been left”
Also on Monday night, students and members of the communist KKE, among them party leader Dimitris Koutsoumbas, set up tents outside the Athens University on Panepistimou Avenue and a big banner.
They held a vigil for the Palestinian people.
Now📌 University of Athens
Students vigil in solidarity with worldwide students protests for #Palestine#antireport#Greece pic.twitter.com/3L1Cu9fOPe— Christina Themelis (@tinathemelis) May 13, 2024
This action ended up peacefully.
Quite different to what happened elsewhere. The famous Trinity College in Dublin had a problem with students who occupied the library and held the Book of Kells to ransom in order to force the management of the college to withdraw investments in Israeli companies. The college gave in to their demands thereby setting a dangerous and cowardly precedent. The occupation was led by the Austrian/Hungarian student union president.