Changes to Polytechnic anniversary
Decision follows recent clashes at historic Patission campus that left injuries and major damage
The governing council of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) has decided to introduce significant changes to the annual commemoration of the 1973 Polytechnic student uprising in an effort to prevent the violent incidents that have repeatedly marred the anniversary and instilled fear among students, staff and visitors.
The decision, prompted by recent clashes inside the historic Patission Street campus that left three people injured, will take effect beginning with the 2026 celebration.
“Do we have to mourn victims before taking measures?” university rector Ioannis Chatzigeorgiou told Kathimerini. According to the institution, damages from the recent unrest have reached €150,000.
The images of the violence spread widely across the media. On the morning of November 16, groups of far-left activists clashed with anarchists on the building’s first floor, causing panic among students and employees. Witness accounts indicated that some individuals attempted to jump from windows to escape danger as the intensity of the confrontations increased.
Tensions remained high the following day, November 17, during the peak of the commemoration events. Chatzigeorgiou detailed the situation in a written report sent to members of the university council, the nine deans and the four vice rectors. He described entering the campus after the doors had been closed to begin the ceremony. Outside the Patission entrance, he wrote, a group of individuals began shouting “insulting and derogatory slogans” at him with growing aggression.
He reported continuous throwing of water bottles and said he was informed that glass bottles were also hurled. Videos he received later showed chairs being thrown, as well as, according to subsequent information, firecrackers. Chatzigeorgiou wrote that those shouting at him initially attempted to break the lock with stones in order to force entry, posing “unpredictable consequences for the personal safety of all of us.” He was later told that the attackers also used a metal rod.
At first, he was advised simply to be cautious, but as conditions worsened he was instructed to leave immediately under escort. Moving toward the Tositsa gate, he said, one individual was seen observing the interior of the complex before making a phone call. After the door was opened by a guard, the rector entered a vehicle and left quickly. As the car exited, a group moved “threateningly” from Patission Street. According to what he was later told, he “escaped cheaply,” as the group outside had begun donning helmets and organizing into teams.
