[Intime News]
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki says its vice-rector for international relations was attacked by a group of students inside a university administration building on Thursday, forcing him to abandon a scheduled meeting with a foreign delegation and be taken to hospital.
The university’s rectorate said Vice-Rector Iakovos Michailidis was subjected to an “unacceptable and deeply anti-democratic act” during an incident that unfolded inside the administration building on campus.
In a statement, the university said Michailidis was targeted by a group of students and faculty members seeking to overturn a unanimous senate decision on student housing regulations. It described the actions as a violation of institutional order and democratic procedure.
The university said that due to the intensity of the confrontation, Michailidis was forced to interrupt a planned meeting with a delegation from a university in Hong Kong and was taken to AHEPA Hospital in Thessaloniki. It added that his condition is stable.
The rectorate condemned what it described as attempts to impose demands through intimidation, saying such actions undermine academic freedom and the smooth operation of the university.
“These phenomena have no place in a public university,” the statement said. “They express a small minority attempting to impose its will through intimidation, violating human dignity and undermining institutional functioning.”
The university said it would take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of students and staff and to safeguard normal operations, adding that “tolerance for such behavior is zero.”