The plans being made by a number of extremist student groups to disrupt procedures for the election of rectors at some of Greece’s universities are, it goes without saying, illegal.

However, canceling the elections for fear of these incidents or others like them, would only be playing into the hands of these groups. The government would appear to be succumbing to blackmail and the country’s universities would be forever left at the mercy of such forces.

The Greek Parliament recently passed a law which was aimed at strengthening the democratic process in the country’s tertiary education institutions. And it is now the duty of every single member of the academic community to ensure that this law is enforced.

The majority must not succumb to the threats of a minority. If they do, they will only demonstrate that they are unable to cope with an independent university system at the very time when they are making efforts to strengthen it.