Statement from teachers΄ union ELME regarding protest against Education Minister
ELME
27 Μαρτίου 2023
/ 22:53
CORFU. "People wanted to protest in front of the hotel, but they came up against a strong police presence".
The teachers' and workers' unions, along with the Parents' Union, pupils and students, protested once again against the Education Minister, who was in Corfu for the Deans Summit.
The Minister's presence is a challenge for the island, both as Education Minister with schools, pupils and teachers being categorised through the "evaluation", and as a representative of a government responsible for the crime in Tempi that caused the death of 57 people so far. She came to an island where the condition of most school buildings is unacceptable, as they are old, ready to collapse and there is no plan or prospect for improvement, making them 'candidates' for the government and local authorities' next big crime.
People wanted to protest in front of Corfu Palace Hotel, where the Minister was, but they came up against a strong police presence that blocked their way. From the previous day the town looked like a police state and the fully armed police officers in front of the hotel confirmed this.
Despite the assurances of the unions that they would simply pass in front of the hotel and that they have nothing to fear from their children's teachers and professors, this was not possible, since the government is determined to "bury" the crime of Tempi and "drown" any voice that highlights its responsibilities. The protesters attempted to approach the hotel from other roads as well, but the police presence was so strong that the hotel was cordoned off from all sides. It is now clear to all members of the government that they can only move in secrecy and isolated from the society.
The march eventually ended up at the Town Hall, where a symbolic sit-in took place and people protested to the Mayor about the police, as well as the condition of school buildings and the next big crime of the governments and municipal authorities.
The Corfu teachers' and workers' unions, the Parents' Union, the pupils and students have shown once again that the representatives of the criminal and anti-labour policies of the governments are unwelcome on the island, that they will find us in front of them every time they visit and we will continue to demand the life and schools we deserve.
The Minister's presence is a challenge for the island, both as Education Minister with schools, pupils and teachers being categorised through the "evaluation", and as a representative of a government responsible for the crime in Tempi that caused the death of 57 people so far. She came to an island where the condition of most school buildings is unacceptable, as they are old, ready to collapse and there is no plan or prospect for improvement, making them 'candidates' for the government and local authorities' next big crime.
People wanted to protest in front of Corfu Palace Hotel, where the Minister was, but they came up against a strong police presence that blocked their way. From the previous day the town looked like a police state and the fully armed police officers in front of the hotel confirmed this.
Despite the assurances of the unions that they would simply pass in front of the hotel and that they have nothing to fear from their children's teachers and professors, this was not possible, since the government is determined to "bury" the crime of Tempi and "drown" any voice that highlights its responsibilities. The protesters attempted to approach the hotel from other roads as well, but the police presence was so strong that the hotel was cordoned off from all sides. It is now clear to all members of the government that they can only move in secrecy and isolated from the society.
The march eventually ended up at the Town Hall, where a symbolic sit-in took place and people protested to the Mayor about the police, as well as the condition of school buildings and the next big crime of the governments and municipal authorities.
The Corfu teachers' and workers' unions, the Parents' Union, the pupils and students have shown once again that the representatives of the criminal and anti-labour policies of the governments are unwelcome on the island, that they will find us in front of them every time they visit and we will continue to demand the life and schools we deserve.
