In an emailed statement sent to Alyunaniya, the head of the Libyan community in Greece, Yahya Abdel Qader Al Thana,  said the Libyan foreign ministry had decided to close down the Libyan school in order to build a new embassy for the country.

Currently, the Embassy of Libya in Greece and its consulate are in different locations. The consulate is located exactly next to the school in Psychiko, a suburb of Athens.

“We are surprised by the decision adopted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take such a decision, and surprised too when we know that the reason for the closure is to seize the opportunity to build a new building for the embassy.”

The Libyan embassy in Greece denied such reports in a phone call with Alyunaniya journalist.

The school which has more than 100 students, is licensed by the Libyan government and has been operating since 1978. The school, is sometimes referred to as the Arabic School as it hosts not only Libyan but also Arab students from different nationalities.

The formally called ‘7th of April’ Libyan School changed its name to ‘17th of February’  to commemorate the martyrs that fell during the 17th of February revolution, which toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

According to the statement the Libyan embassy prior to its decision had promised to renovate the school  as a gift to the community for the country’s  ”successful revolution”.

“The Libyans and Arabs of Greece, are furious as our sons and daughters are at risk of losing their identity and culture which was offered by the school, the only Arab one in Greece, ” the head of the Libyan community said.