ATHENS – Greek anarchists who said they attacked a university professor giving a lecture before students rescued him said they did it because he had committed crimes they said were being covered up.

The group – which calls itself Anarchists – and is one of many in Greece, said it was behind the assault at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) when a gang of hooded men beat the professor, who wasn’t named.

The perpetrators initially attacked him verbally, and then punched and kicked his head and body, earlier reports said, the group claiming he was being protected by the school and the Education Ministry but gave no reason why.

“The verbal attack, the writing of slogans on the walls of the amphitheater and the physical violence we inflicted on him were our main means of highlighting an issue that is buried by (his) strong connections,” the group said on a website.

The group mentioned “two eponymous complaints” that have been filed against the professor, who is accused for usury and extortion after an indictment filed against him by a former university colleague.

AUEB is a troubled school with repeated incidents of vandalism and violence some said perpetrated by students who are repeat offenders but allowed to remain in school.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that will change as a 400-strong campus police force is being trained and will be deployed at major universities and he said mechanisms would be set up to boot bad students.