Every year around this time, I visit a Greek university where I do some postgraduate teaching; it has always been a rewarding experience in many respects. For one, it is my only teaching to a mono-cultural group of students – all Greek; for another, visiting a Greek campus takes me to a universe where teaching and formal learning yields second place to politics.
A piece of graffit about 500 metres away from the university. The Guardian liked it so much, they reproduced it in their report on Greece.
This year, like previous ones, the campus was full of political graffiti and art and heated political conversations among students. Hardly surprising given the troubled state of the country and the radical new law for Higher Education that promises (or threatens) to dramatically alter the landscape. Students in Greece have, as long as I can remember, been organized along party-political lines in everything they do, including parties, elections and group outings. An increasing number of students, however, are now forming new organizations independent of political parties and many of them have attached themselves to EAAK, the ‘Unified Independent Left Movement’.
Against this background, while I was giving a lecture on ‘action learning’, much noise was heard outside the lecture theatre and through the windows we could see a group of approximately 80 to 100 young people (all male) charging in the direction of the cafeteria. Dressed in black, the majority were carrying heavy cudgels covered in red flags and many of them were wearing helmets; a handful were wearing balaclavas to conceal their faces.
A skirmish could be heard outside, including much shouting and the noise of truncheon hitting truncheon. The lecture was adjourned on the request of the students – some of them were concerned about vandalism of the cars and bikes. I went out to see what was all about. By this time, the fighting had subsided (it can’t have lasted more than five minutes) and the other side had withdrawn leaving the main area of the campus to the invading contingent. Cudgels and helmets on the ground. One or two ‘combatants’ were holding bags of ice against swollen hands.
Meanwhile, a wide group of ‘neutral’ students had emerged from their lecture theatres and were engaged in vigorous conversations with the combatants in red flags. The atmosphere was tense, but I noticed a clear determination to enter dialogue on all sides.
“Who are you?” “What are you doing here?” “What do you want?” “What business do you have on campus?” – these questions prompted heated discussions rather than insults or violence. The combatants, it seems were members of EAAK retaliating against a charge by PASOK members the previous evening. They claimed they had been attacked by PASOK students and their hoodlums who had injured several of them and, variously, ‘molested’ or ‘tortured’ a female student. The word ‘flare pistol’ was repeatedly heard. Neutral students were, meanwhile, accusing the red flags of bringing hoodlums of their own to the campus, a claim that did not require much imagination to believe.
The lecture resumed shortly afterwards as peace seemed to return to the campus, with groups of red flags drifting away. By early afternoon, there was no sign of the confrontation except for a broken cudgel I collected as a reminder.
The next day, EAAK, the independent left student organizations, distributed leaflets with photographs claiming to show PASOK supporters in helmets attacking them with truncheons including some photographs of the notorious flares.
The next day there was more drama in the lecture theatre – a mouse was spotted before it escaped into a heating pipe. Adjournment. The disinfestations brigade (also in helmets and black overalls) had to be called.
Graffiti from inside the university
Graffiti from inside the university
A piece of graffit about 500 metres away from the university. The Guardian liked it so much, they reproduced it in their report on Greece.
Quite a vivid and memorable week one would say!
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