University asylum legislation put to public consultation

The article, entitled Academic Freedom – Improving the Quality of the Academic Environment”, put forward by the Greek Minister of Education and Religious Affairs has the following clauses:

“1. Academic freedom in research and teaching is guaranteed and protected in Higher Education Institutions (AEI), which constitutes an institutional guarantee of unbound and inviolable scientific thinking, research and teaching.
2. Academic freedom, as well as free expression and dissemination of ideas, are protected in all spaces of the Higher Educational Institutions (AEI) against anyone attempting to abolish or limit them.
3. Within the premises of AEI the competent authorities shall exercise all their statutory powers, including intervening due to the committing of criminal acts.”

The 3rd clause is the main point of contention with SYRIZA, as it effectively abolishes the current framework in effect, which provided that law enforcement agencies could only enter the University premises after special permission issued by the Rector’s Council.