A sound decision in academia
A recent decision taken by the authorities of the National Technical University of Athens to ask the police to intervene on the university’s campus, which has become a playground for self-styled anarchists, is a landmark resolution and should be treated as an important step for the academic community. This decision represents the first time in many years that the leadership of this historical institution has taken some responsibility to put an end to the destruction of university and public property wreaked by gangs of hooligans. It is a brave decision considering the kind of threats academics have been known to face, but it is also the right one. Now, all we can do is hope that this decision also reflects a growing trend within society to take a more mature approach to a taboo that dates back to the 1970s and which has led to the concealment of unspeakable acts of violence behind the walls of learning. The decision of the university administration may at long last open in earnest the debate on university asylum, which prevents the police from entering the premises of tertiary-level educational institutions.
