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Greek students launch fresh austerity protests

Xinhua, September 2, 2011

• Greek university and high school students launched a new round of protests over austerity measures and reforms in the country, rejecting a new law on higher education that went into effect on Thursday.

  Students held peaceful marches in the capital Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki on Thursday afternoon, as hundreds held sit-in protests inside campuses of up to 80 faculties nationwide, disrupting lessons at the beginning of the academic year.

  Young protesters and some teaching staff reject the bill approved by the Greek parliament in August, following cutbacks due to the debt crisis that has troubled Greece since 2009.

  Critics say the new law undermine the self-governance of universities and the future of academic faculties that are not strongly linked with the job market.

  The socialist government argues that, on the contrary, the overhaul solves chronic quality problems and increases the competitiveness of the Greek educational system.

  The bill also abolishes a law designed four decades ago that restricts police from entering the premises of university campuses. This law had been exploited by anarchists for several years.

  Supporters of the bill said that in the past hooded youth repeatedly staged attacks against the police, vandalized public and private property and sought refuge inside universities.

  Thursday's student demonstrations marked a new wave of protests by various labor unions over the painful austerity and reform measures being undertaken by the Greek government to tackle the debt crisis.

  After a summer lull, public sector employees, pensioners, as well as professionals such as taxi drivers and doctors who oppose the liberalization of their sectors are now planning fresh demonstrations against what they think are harsh policies.

  Greece has been paralyzed by strikes many times over the past few years, adding more woes to its recession-hit economy that reached the brink of default in July.

  Bowing to pressure by the European Union and International Monetary Fund, many creditors to Greece have let their bond repayments roll over till 2013. The Greek government argues that such policies are the only way it can slash budget deficits and hopefully return to growth.

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