Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-03-08

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Higher education bill ratified

[01] Higher education bill ratified

A students rally held at the same time in central Athens to protest against the bill erupted into violence.

The bill's articles were voted for unanimously by the ruling New Democracy (ND) party, since opposition parties had withdrawn from the discussion and independent deputy Stefanos Manos voted for almost all (declaring himself "present" on article 3 regarding academic asylum).

Yiannakou accepted the proposal by ND rapporteur and Xanthi deputy Filippos Tsalidis for the faculties of each university to have the possibility of preparing their own operation regulation in the framework of the foundation's overall internal regulation.

The education minister also accepted the proposal by Stefanos Manos for the list of books responding in an integrated way to the object of every lesson to be presented in time in each foundation's website and promised to examine the deputy's proposal that the promise to fund the foundations (in the framework of 4-year programming) to be accompanied by a bank guarantee.

Lastly, Yiannakou accepted the observation coming from the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos) party for the presentation of the annual account of each foundation in its website, before its submission to the education ministry, as well as an account by the rectoral authorities at the end of their tenure.

Incidents

Athens' notorious hooded anarchists were once again the protagonists of a rally held on Thursday to protest against the government's framework bill for higher education, which erupted into violence as the final vote on the bill began in the Greek Parliament.

When the protest march organised by students and educators reached Syntagma Square, opposite Greece's unicameral Parliament, groups of hooded youths passed in front of the ranks of students and tried to break through a police cordon outside the Parliament building, lobbing rocks, bottles and firebombs.

Police responded by using teargas, driving the main body of the protestors back from Syntagma Square, but the clashes between police and rioters continued for an extended period of time in and around the square, with the latter attacking police officers and surrounding buildings with stones and other objects.

Among the casualties were two traffic cameras at Haftia, two cash-dispensers outside banks in Stadiou and Filellinon streets and a police sentry box at the Unknown Soldier monument.

Taking part in the protest in Athens were students and teachers at all levels of the education system, in addition to other labour groups and workers, while the central demands were free state education for all and the withdrawal of the controversial government bill for universities and other tertiary education institutes.

Protestors stressed that they would continue mobilisations if the bill was passed until it was finally withdrawn.

Gov't spokesman condemns 'sacrilege'

Minister of State and government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos commented from Brussels on Thursday evening over the disturbances by students in central Athens earlier in the day.

He referred to the burning of a guard post outside Parliament in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

"All the democratic citizens condemn the sacrilege which occurred today at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by a group of demonstrators. Shame on the pitiful protagonists,? Roussopoulos said.

Comments on the disturbances were also made in Athens by the main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), holding the government responsible.

PASOK leader calls for removal of public order minister

Main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou on Thursday night called for the removal of Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras, terming him "unsuitable" and "dangerous", as well as of the leadership of the police which he described as "provenly inadequate", following extensive disturbances that occurred in downtown Athens earlier in the day during a students' demonstration.

Papandreou said in a statement that the New Democracy (ND) party government was "proved to be absolutely inadequate" on Thursday, adding that the only question remaining for the citizen is "if this is merely due to incompetence or a deliberate policy of polarisation and of using violence as a way of influencing public opinion."

The PASOK leader placed emphasis on disturbances in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, speaking of "desecration of the monument" and stressed that it "is the duty of every government and of every authority to protect the monument from every form of vandalism." He also stressed that he himself had warned that the government's option of handling issues of education as issues of order is dangerous.

Roussopoulos responds

In response to Papandreou's statements, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said from Brussels that "never was a police force needed to protect the historic memory which the sacred site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier represents."

The spokesman added that "I do not comment on the other statements which steadfastly aim at tension and polarisation."

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