The protest was organised by the Association of Resident Student Hostels of Thessaloniki (SOFETH) and had been planned since Tuesday, following the lift collapse incident.
In a detailed statement, the student association said:
“Last night, the lift in the second block of the C residence collapsed, and by sheer luck, no one was injured. Outraged and concerned students gathered in protest the next morning, demanding explanations from the authorities. During the protest, the director of the student residences displayed a dismissive attitude, refusing to provide any meaningful answers about the incident. He denied all responsibility, maintaining a particularly cynical stance.”
The statement continued by noting that the students eventually spoke with the contractor responsible for maintaining the lifts and a university vice-rector. The contractor admitted that he was aware of the unsafe conditions of the lifts, which reportedly malfunction every two weeks. He claimed, however, that the inspections were limited to “visual checks” and insisted that he bore no further responsibility.
The protest escalated when, during the demonstration, a female student became trapped in an lift in another residence block, underscoring the ongoing safety issues and neglect of the facilities. “This shows that the poor state of the residences is no accident; it is the direct result of long-term indifference to our safety and living conditions,” the students argued.
They further blamed successive governments, including the current New Democracy administration, for chronic underfunding of public education and student facilities. “These are not isolated incidents but part of a broader plan to degrade and privatise public education and care,” the statement claimed.
The students outlined a series of actions in response, including:
- The formation of a coordinating committee
- A protest at the rector’s office demanding concrete answers and commitments
- The drafting of a statement to be distributed to the media
- An open discussion about the problems in student housing
- Scheduling the next general assembly
According to local media, the rector himself called the police, claiming he was “trapped.” Riot police (MAT) and OPKE units entered the building, leading to physical confrontations between some protesters and police as authorities sought to extract the rector. Five individuals were arrested during the altercation.
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