Protest camps across several cities
Students set up tents on the Agias Sofias pedestrian street in Thessaloniki on Tuesday, 20 October, in a symbolic protest against housing costs and under-funded universities. Local reports said about 15 tents had been pitched by the early evening, with the number expected to grow before night. Students also set up camps in Ioannina, outside the Epirus regional government building, and in Patras. In Athens, students pitched tents in Syntagma Square, where a concert was planned for the evening.
What students are demanding
Student unions in Thessaloniki are calling for an increase in the housing allowance to 500 euros, a cap on rents, new student residences and renovation of existing ones. They also want free meals and textbooks for all students, an immediate earthquake safety inspection of all buildings at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and higher regular state funding for universities. A separate Athens appeal adds a cap on electricity and fuel prices.
Voices from the campus
Tasos Metzanidis, vice-president of the student association of the Philosophy and Pedagogy department at Aristotle University, said students were once again taking to the streets against years of under-funding. He said buildings at the university had not been checked for earthquake safety in more than 25 years, and that one in two students was forced to study in difficult conditions or to drop out. He linked the protest to state spending, saying the government had money for military equipment and NATO but not for student needs.
“We are saying enough. The government and the other governing parties must now answer the fair demands of the students.”
A spokesperson for a student association at the Pedagogy department said many students cannot move to the city where they study. She described students commuting daily from Kilkis and Katerini because they cannot rent a home in Thessaloniki.
Wider education strikes
Teachers' and public sector unions have joined the action. The DOE teachers' union has called a 24-hour nationwide strike, and the OLME secondary teachers' union has called work stoppages that local branches are turning into 24-hour strikes. ADEDY has called a three-hour work stoppage for public employees. Athens mayor Haris Doukas visited the Syntagma camp and said the city stands with pupils and teachers in defending the right to learn.
“We stand next to the student community and the teachers, because we support the right to learn.”
Wednesday rally
The main education rally is set for Wednesday, 21 October. It starts at 11:30 or 11:00 at the Venizelos statue in Thessaloniki, depending on the report, and at 12:00 at the Propylaia in Athens. Students in Athens planned to spend the night in tents at Syntagma and join pupils, teachers and parents at the rally the next day.