Thousand of Greeks marched to the US Embassy on Sunday to commemorate the Polytechnic School Students’ Uprising of 1973 that reached its peak on November 17, when a tank of the Armed Forced brought down the gate of the University and armed forces and police drowned in blood the revolt.
The big march of student organizations mainly, to the US Embassy started at 4:30 in the afternoon.
The march has been massive an peaceful so far, except the burning of an American Flag outside the Embassy.
At the same time, riot police raided a building in Exarchia district reportedly detaining at least seven people.
The detainees were allegedly trying to climb to the roof top of the building.
Police reportedly broke the heavy entrance door.
Citing police sources, media report that stones, empty bottles that would be used as molotov cocktail bombs, gas-masks, gloves and other items were found.
Police drone video showing the items found and confiscated.
“It was a preventive raid,” mainstream media report. It has been “custom” that anarchists use the commemoration day to launch attacks against police, when the march is over.
Two more people were detained a bit later in the same area.
While protesters keep marching to the US Embassy short after 7 o’ clock, media report that police is closing monitoring anti-authoritarians’ groups marching towards Exarchia.
For three days, thousands of Greeks flocked to the Polytechnic University in Athens to honor the dead and the struggle of Students’ Uprising against the military junta in 1973. Young and older generations, parents with their children, laid a flower at the monument in the courtyard of the university that became a symbol against the dictatorship.
The anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising, this great moment of the resistance against the nationally criminal seven-year junta (1967-1974), is an anniversary of remembrance of the fighters and the victims that fell in the name of Democracy during this dark period, President of Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos stated in his message.
Protest marches were held also in other Greek cities.
