A video published by students of the School of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) has exposed yet another crude and deeply sexist comment made by the university’s rector, Ioannis Chatzigeorgiou. "It seems these ladies want to accompany us. They’re escorts," the rector said. The student association immediately condemned the remark, stating that "using this term is not just an insult—it reflects a deeper culture of misogyny, where women are demeaned, sex workers are stigmatized, and harmful stereotypes about their profession are reinforced."

“The rector of NTUA, I. Chatzigeorgiou, called students ‘escorts’ in the university courtyard while they were following him and asking questions,” denounced the students, highlighting the blatant sexism in his statement.

“It seems these ladies want to accompany us. They’re escorts.”

A rector who sees a public university as his own ‘shop’

In another video, the same rector demonstrates an entirely inappropriate attitude of ownership towards the university during a visit to a student study and meeting space. In an arrogant manner, he demands names for disciplinary action and introduces himself by saying, “My name is Ioannis Chatzigeorgiou, I am the rector of this shop.” The student association strongly criticized this, stating, “The entire society should be alarmed if a rector considers a public university to be his personal property. But it should be outraged when he openly states it without any hesitation.”

A pattern of inflammatory statements

This is the same rector who, during the “Researchers’ Night” event, referred to students and staff of the university as “incompatible grafts” after they interrupted a speech to protest against NTUA’s collaboration with the Israeli state commiting genocide in Palestine.

In another video excerpt, Chatzigeorgiou can be heard calling pro-Palestinian students “incompatible grafts” and going on to say, “The university belongs to us, not to them.”

He even called the police to remove students from “his” university and later received praise from government minister Adonis Georgiadis for doing so.

Finally, Chatzigeorgiou attempted to ban an event organized by student associations over the deadly train crash in Tempe, titled “The TempecCase and the role of NTUA: Science in the service of truth or profit?”

Student associations strongly criticized this censorship, particularly since NTUA’s Chemical Engineering Department was assigned to produce a special report on the train’s cargo.

“The rector’s persistent refusal to allow this event to take place at NTUA raises serious concerns. What is Chatzigeorgiou so afraid of? We already know he is no champion of scientific debate and academic freedom. But if he has nothing to hide regarding this state-run disaster, why is he so threatened by a discussion featuring university experts and specialists on the case?” the students questioned.

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