Greece Holds a Nationwide Education Strike on October 21: Teachers Stage a 24-Hour Stoppage as Students and Parents Rally in Athens and Other Cities
Athens, Greece — Greece's education sector staged a nationwide day of strikes and rallies on Wednesday, October 21: the Primary Teachers' Federation (DOE) called a 24-hour strike, secondary teachers held work stoppages, and pupils, university students, hospital doctors and public-sector workers took to the streets in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and other major cities.
The central Athens rally gathered at the Propylaia at noon; Thessaloniki's gathering met at the Venizelos statue at 11:30; in Patras, students rallied at Georgiou Square at 10:30 and teachers at the Labour Centre at 11:00. Crete saw actions in Heraklion, Chania and Rethymno, after Cretan students held an island-wide action at the Heraklion Regional Council on Tuesday.
Demands centred on education: students are asking for more and free places in student residences, greater support with rent and measures to cut the total cost of study, while parents' organisations focus on staff shortages, the state of school buildings, special education and state funding. The day widened a Greek student movement that has echoed campus protests across Europe, from overnight university occupations to a joint nationwide education action.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 希腊议会与宪法广场（雅典）。图：George E. Koronaios，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。 / The Hellenic Parliament and Syntagma Square in Athens. Photo by George E. Koronaios, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
