Asylum law open to abuse
The events that are unfolding at the recently renovated Athens Law School show how abused and misused the concept of university asylum.
What kind of asylum is this when it is evoked by groups that are either acting outside the law or pushing their cause to extremes? What discussion can there be on whether the asylum law should be upheld or not when it is abused by small groups of hooligans or troublemakers and used as a lever to put pressure on the academic community or others?
This situation has to stop, and it will not do so just because politicians and university deans use strong words and pretend to take a tough stance. Public opinion is justifiably enraged when it sees the law being flouted so provocatively, when it sees the authorities shrinking away from taking any decisive action and, ultimately, when the time arrives for taxpayers to foot the bill for the damage to public property that these groups inflict every so often at Greek universities. To add insult to injury, the public also has to see students being forced to miss classes just because someone would have it so.
