SYRIZA opposes police force in universities

Harking back to the times when it was on the margins of Greece's political life as an anti-establishment party backing protests, main opposition SYRIZA said Thursday it will fight tooth and nail against the government's new education bill, which, among other things, foresees the presence of police on university campuses to deal with chronic lawlessness plaguing the country's academic institutions.

The legislation introduced on Tuesday was received with reservations by parts of the Greece's academic community and promoted derision from the left wing of the country's political spectrum.

In a statement Thursday, SYRIZA demanded its withdrawal, calling on "the democratic university community, every democratic and progressive citizen to cancel the reactionary plans of the government."

To this end, it called for "collective defense and strengthening of democracy...