Clashes between students and riot police erupted in the Economic University AOSEE in downtown Athens on Monday. Dozens of students entered the premises of the institution in order to protest the Senate decision to close the University for a week “deliberately and for no reason,” as they say.
The students started to throw stones at the police squads, they responded with tear gas and flash grenades.
In the end, a group of some 80 students were able to enter the university courtyard, where they were surrounded by riot police.
Efforts to ease the tension resulted in police squads to retreat and remain at the university gate.
As more students flocked to the university in solidarity, police pushed them away before arriving at the gates.
ΑΣΟΕΕ πριν λίγο επίθεση στον κόσμο #antireport pic.twitter.com/D6zEJ9h0HH
— Δρομογράφος (@dromografos) November 11, 2019
According to media reports, some of the students were injured and some were suffering from respiratory problems.
Πληροφορίες για τραυματίες φοιτητές μέσα στην #ΑΣΟΕΕ, καθώς και πως η αστυνομία δεν αφήνει ασθενοφόρο του ΕΚΑΒ να πλησιάσει το σημείο. Καλέσματα για πορεία διαμαρτυρίας και για την απελευθέρωση των φοιτητών που βρίσκονται εντός του πανεπιστημιακού χώρου.https://t.co/fz8IOM4V2d pic.twitter.com/SLDlLw4ABb
— ThePressProject (@ThePressProject) November 11, 2019
According to latest information, the students are trapped inside the university, police does not allow ambulances to reach them.
The Senate decided to put a padlock at the University which will be closed from November 11 until November 17, 2019, the date students traditionally commemorate the Students’ Uprising against the military junta in 1973.
On Sunday, police raided part of the premises of the Economic University, where anarchists were storing material they used when attacking police.
One of the very first reforms by the conservative government was to abolish the “university asylum” with the result that police can more easily enter a public building that used to be a no-go zone for police.
Short after 2:30 students could leave the university and marched through Patision Avenue chanting slogans.
Αποχωρούν με συνθήματα οι φοιτητές από την ΑΣΟΕΕ pic.twitter.com/dU3BIiSqwm
— Savvas Karmaniolas (@savvaskarma) November 11, 2019
