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Greek university staff and students protested against the decision of the prosecutor’s office to start punitive actions against Polytechnic University rector Kostas Moudzouris. The prosecutor accused the rector of violating staff competence, because he has allowed the existence of the independent website Indymedia, which recently uploads appeals of the terrorist organization “Conspiracy of the fiery nuclei”.

Most rectors, including the ones of Athens University and the University of Patra took the side of the Polytechnic rector and as support they even mentioned resignations. Students and staff members of the five departments in the Polytechnic University also reacted and expressed their desire that Indymedia should continue functioning. Other university communities said that a website with such content does not have place in a university community. Cretan University rector Yoakim Grispolakis said that it is extremely provoking for such a website to be running within an educational institution.

According to Moudzouris the investigation against him and the two deputy rectors is an attempt to censor dissemination of different ideas. He is against this and said that the management of the Polytechnic University is protecting the university immunity and public property. The rector explained that the website already existed when he was appointed to this position and he has decided to keep it, because it is there solely for informational purposes. Moudzouris also said that the ones investigating him have expressed their satisfaction with this website many times in the past, because they were also informing themselves from it. Education Minister Ana Diamandopoulou expressed her position and said that we live in a free society, where “freedom of thought and expression are above all”.