Greece scraps university asylum law

Aug 24, 2011, 16:33 GMT

Athens - Greece on Wednesday lifted a law that for nearly four decades had banned the presence of police on university grounds, giving radicals a safe haven during frequently violent protests, the Athens News Agency (ANA) reported.

The abolition of the university asylum law is part of larger educational reforms set out by the ruling Socialist government, which also foresees the independent evaluation of academics and sets restrictions on the length of time students have to complete their degree courses.

Many professors say the bill will compromise the independence of institutions and have threatened to go on strike in September, forcing the closure of universities across the country.

The university amnesty law - drafted after the restoration of democracy following the student uprising against the military dictatorship - banned police from entering university or school campuses across the country.

It's initial goal was to safeguard academic freedom, but in the past decade has served as safe houses for radicals, vandals and criminals who use campuses to make petrol bombs and store makeshift weapons against police in frequent protests.

On November 17, 1973, dozens of military tanks entered the Polytechnic University in central Athens to quell a student uprising against the military dictatorship. Hundreds of protesters were killed during the raid, which marked the beginning of the end for the 1967-74 junta.