By Alexis Papachelas

I sometimes feel that a small segment of the so-called Polytechnic generation, referring to those who experienced the students’ uprising against military rule in the mid-70s, is doing its utmost to prevent the process of democratization from completing its cycle. These are people who fought against a dictatorship and they have our respect. The problem, however, is that they seem stuck in that period. I understand the compromises they have had to make, but also how miserably they failed to build the society they dreamt of. They must surely understand that the crisis of values, corruption and the erosion of the state have something to do with this generation’s rise to power at a time when “revolution” was in the air, right after the restoration of democracy. They can’t be blind to the fact that the Hellenic Federation of University Teachers’ Associations is a bastion for those who were once restless academics but who have become little more than civil servants seeking to maintain the status quo.

That particular segment of that generation have been hounding us for years with their positions on certain issues, such as domestic terrorism. They advocate the concept of no-go zones in the capital and excuse “unruly kids.” They have even gone so far as to justify a bunch of spoiled brats who wanted to test the limits of legal behavior.

The reason for these comments was a series of incidents in Exarchia a few days ago and, more specifically, the cost-free resistance of some 50-year-olds who knew they could get away with their attitude toward much younger policemen, as they would later be protected by certain political parties and media.

This form of hooliganism/terrorism is a natural development of the mentality that nurtured an entire generation at the limits of violence and protest. We hope that the vibrant part of the Polytechnic generation who continue to espouse the values of 1973 will join the front line in the battle against violence today. The cycle of democratization must finally close and with it the violence and bloodshed must end.