Students and graduates gathered in Athens on Thursday to demand better public education and relief from student housing and education costs, while demonstrations also took place in Thessaloniki and other cities, 902.gr reported.
At Propylaea in Athens, protesters called for more public education funding, free education and improved school infrastructure. They also urged action on staffing shortages, according to 902.gr. The report said housing and education expenses burden students and their families.
The demonstrations brought their message to government sites. Protesters displayed a banner about education expenses outside the Finance Ministry and left rubble-filled bags outside Parliament to draw attention to school-building conditions, 902.gr reported. The march also coincided with the closure of Panepistimio metro station, the outlet said.
The latest protest followed an Oct. 21 Athens march where students and teachers sought lower student housing costs and more state education funding, the Associated Press reported. The AP account also included Thessaloniki and Patras among the protest locations. EconoTimes previously covered the Oct. 21 march and its housing demands.
Housing relief was also a focus of student actions in the days before that march. EconoTimes reported on student tent protests seeking housing assistance in Athens and Thessaloniki on Oct. 20, when students called for lower rents and more dormitory places.
Participants in the current demonstrations said they planned to join events marking 53 years since the 1973 Athens Polytechnic uprising. The commemoration is scheduled to begin Nov. 15, with a rally planned for Nov. 17, 902.gr reported.
