OPINION

Now on to a review of asylum law

Despite the best efforts of certain fringe groups and extremist elements to repeat the performances of last year and create chaos in the center of Athens, the government succeeded in bringing the situation under control and limiting the destruction to public property. The relative calm we saw prevail over the wishes of a handful of troublemakers is mainly due to the tough line adopted by Citizen’s Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis and the new set of rules he has imposed on the Greek Police. Nevertheless, the storming of Athens University and the beating of its rector, as well as the riots that broke out in and around the National Technical University of Athens, tell us that the law designating all university grounds as places of asylum from the police needs to be reviewed. The state has proved that it is willing to step up and take charge of the situation. Now it is up to the academic community to do the same, especially the chief administrators, who often turn a blind eye to the activities of the self-styled anarchist groups that find refuge on their campuses.

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