Stratos Simopoulos reports that a left-wing enclave within the scholarsis involved with baháchalaks at the University of Thessaloniki and that these people need to be isolated.
In new sharp statements on the incidents at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), ND MP Stratos Simopoulos reiterates the issue of safety in universities, arguing that within the academic community there is an ideological core that, he says, is aligned with groups of violence. On the occasion of the attack on a member of the university administration, he calls for more strict supervision measures and institutional interventions, putting at the centre of the public debate the need to prevent similar phenomena and enforce order in university spaces.
The need “to finally move to controlled access to universities” with the installation of a turnstile and the operation of an entrance card in the campus buildings is stressed by the chairman of the Special Standing Committee on Research and Technology of the Parliament and MP for Thessaloniki of the New Democracy, Stratos Simopoulos on the occasion of the new violent attack by leftist students against a member of the academic community and specifically against the Vice-Rector of International Relations, Extroversion, Lifelong Learning and Student Care of the Aristotle University, Professor Iakovos Michaelides.
In an interview with Macedonian News, Mr. Simopoulos also notes that there is information that the “attack” of the bahalaks against the vice-rector was in some way assisted by people from the educational staff of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. “A leftist guardian among the teachers is in league with the bahalaks“, the MP for Thessaloniki of the New Democracy and categorically states that “these people must be isolated“.
The whole interview of Mr. Stratos Simopoulos to Despina Ioannidou
Mr. Simopoulos, not even 24 hours have passed since your statement yesterday on the issue that arose with the private agreement for the student residences where you expressed your full support for the Rectorial Authorities. Do you feel “vindicated” for coming forward and making this statement of support? And also I would like a comment on your attack on the Vice Rector.
I do indeed feel justified because I came out in support of this effort of the Rectorial Authorities,which should be supported by all institutions and the State. And this becomes even more imperative because there is information that in the “attack” of the bahalaks against the vice-rector, people from the teaching staff of the AUTH also contributed in some way.
How worrying is this, that is, that such reactions and bashing against a vice-rector are instigated by the faculty staff, that is, by professors?
What I said is information that I have and what we expect is that the Greek Police and the Ministry of Education cooperate through lawsuits or in any way to confirm or not confirm this information.
But in general it is known that there is an enclave in the AUTH that calls itself progressive, a leftist enclave within the professors, which is aligned with the bahalaks. I believe that these people should be isolated. But we must finally move to controlled access to universities and to turnstiles and entry cards to buildings.
Mr. Simopoulos, how necessary it is to finally have such a private agreement that I imagine is in place in every favored state as it pertains to dormitories and tenants of public space. For example, someone stays in a hotel and if there are damages they are charged to their credit card…
Sure. This is obvious and self-evident. I have personally addressed all three Ministers of Education of the Mitsotakis government and have raised this issue, that is, that there should be lease contracts and of course there should be responsibility of the residents for any damage that will be caused while staying in the dormitories. In other words, everything we do in our homes. When we sign a lease agreement we record the condition the house was in when we took it over and then the landlord sees how we hand it over.
However, to do this we may need institutional shielding from the state. Because sometimes the state says “you know there is the self-governance of universities”. Yes, but there is a body which runs the student residences. A public body.
The protesting “students” who have gone from reaction through notices to violence and bullying, deny the private agreements by circulating photos of the conditions prevailing in dorm rooms and spaces with damage apparently done by themselves or by previous student tenants. And they claim that this is why they don’t want to sign the private agreements…
Apparently these will be taken into account when they sign the private agreements. There will be an inventory of the current situation. No one will call on the resident to renovate common areas for which they are not responsible.
So we are talking about deterioration from here on out.
Could this kind of reaction scare the Rector’s office into backing down? What information do you have? Have you spoken to the Rector in the first instance?
I have spoken to the Vice-Chancellor to wish him well and to the Rector. I don’t know how they will move forward from here but I have assured them that they have my support to continue in the same direction. But they also have my understanding that they are operating in a difficult environment. That is why the state must also untie their hands.
Mr. Simopoulos, how sad is it that such a violent attack is taking place at a time when Aristotle, the largest university in the country, has embarked on an impressive trajectory of extroversion and with the Rector’s Authorities having set the bar high for Student Care as well?
App. Yes indeed such actions do indeed cause anger and sadness. And I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that at the end of May the AUTH is holding a huge conference the Aristotle Innovation Forum which will have 200 speakers from all over the world who will discuss innovation issues.
The AUTH is turning a new page and we have to support it and the politicians and the state and the institutions.
