A few days ago, the president of the mathematics department at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Sotiris Notaris, was attacked by a group of hooded individuals right after finishing the oral examination of a student.

Speaking to kathimerini, mr. Notaris described how one of the unidentified attackers told him while leaving, “if you do anything like this again, we will kill you.”

according to the professor, the attack began shortly after noon last friday, just minutes after the completion of the student’s oral examination in his office.

“The door burst open violently, and a group of 10-15 hooded individuals appeared. both the student and i were shocked by the invasion, but i tried to ‘de-escalate’ the situation. what do they want? ‘this is happening because you bring cops into the university and go after workers,’ one of them told me,” mr. Notaris began his account.

“And immediately, the attack started. one of them was holding a container with red paint, while others had eggs in their hands. The one with the paint threw it all over the place. the others started throwing eggs. the student was terrified,” the mathematics department president continued.

“When they ran out of ‘ammo,’ they started trashing the office. they smashed computers, monitors, and threw papers all over the floor,” mr. Notaris told kathimerini about the attack he endured.

On the same day, an attack also took place against the secretary of the department’s divisions. in response, the faculty members of the mathematics department announced a teaching strike on wednesday and thursday.

From what mr. Notaris overheard, he believes the attack was motivated by his stance on the occupation of a cafeteria and two small vacant spaces in a shared atrium area, which he wanted to reclaim.

The announcement from the mathematics department

Following the unacceptable incidents of an invasion and attack by a group of hooded individuals in the office of the department president, as well as the cowardly attack on the secretary of the divisions, which took place on friday, 14/2, the faculty members of the department decided to go on strike from their teaching duties on wednesday, 19/2, and thursday, 20/2. this symbolic action aims to highlight the grave issues of security deficiencies and the deteriorating state of the mathematics department’s infrastructure—factors that undermine both the working conditions of the staff and the study conditions of students at the public university.