10/1/2007: Demonstrations against the revising of article 16 of the Greek Constitution, in order to allow the foundation of non-state universities, has long been in the plans of the two leading parties, as a part of an effort to enforce the privatisation of the educational sector. The parliament is starting the discussion for the revisal on the 10th of January, and the academic community has already risen up and is being prepared so as to express their contrariety. This revisal is a part of a sequence of revisals of the Constitution, which the plutocracy is about to adapt to their needs. The Unions of the university professors, the high-school and the primary school teachers and the university personnel have announced a 24hrs strike, while the student assemblies that started after the universities opened for the new year, have already resulted in more than 215 departments to be under occupation. Demonstrations were held in every big city, all around Greece.Athens: 7.000- 8.000 took part in the main demonstration, while another 2.000-3.000 people had marched earlier in a separate march of the unions attached to the Communist Party (PAME Association). The people needed a lot of hours to gather, and then started marching after 2pm. A nationalist statue in Korai Sq was destroyed, and at about 2.15 some riots occured between the Parliament and the UK embassy. A lot of people were arrested, while newswire reports that policemen planted molotov cocktails in some arestees' back bags
(athens indymedia)
