Student protests in Athens turn violent and disrupt exams

Police and student protesters clashed in the centre of the Greek capital on Thursday 1 February after a demonstration against government plans to allow private universities, write Srdjan Nedeljkovic and Costas Kantouris for Associated Press.

Demonstrators in Athens attacked police cordons, set fire to trash dumpsters and threw stones at riot police near parliament and later during clashes along the capital’s narrow streets. Police responded with tear gas and made several arrests.

The centre-right government wants to legalise privately-run universities in a bill that is due to go before parliament this month, arguing that the reform would prevent skilled people from leaving the country and make higher education more relevant to the labour market. But the plan has sparked several protests, including an ongoing campaign to occupy university buildings in protest, which has disrupted classes and forced some academic authorities to reschedule upcoming exams.
Full report on the AP News site