linksunten Archiv

17th of November is the day where the student revolt against the dictatorship in Athens, Greece in 1973 is being commemorated. The 3days commemoration leads to a march at the streets of almost every city in Greece, but mainly in central Athens, where a usually a massive march is organized towards the American embassy, that is being accused of co-operating and imposing the junta regime at the time.

Like every other year the police measures are suppressive to an extreme length, while this year almost 7.000 cops or more were guarding the demo, focusing particularly at the black block.

One day before things got aggravated by Obama's visit in Athens that was felt as a direct provocation, due to the US support of the dictatorship in Greece (1967-1974), and even more aggravated by the fact that due to his visit a 2 days ban of gatherings and demonstrations was imposed by the self-proclaimed left government of SYRIZA, that seemed to copy and imitate the prohibitions of gatherings and protests imposed by the junta regime at the time.

On the day the center of Athens reminded of a city under siege by the police whether in uniform or undercover performing continuous searches on passers by and blocking all the subway exits. Athens was looking like being under a military dictatorship regime once again.

Throughout the whole protest the hundreds of riot police cops encircled the block tightly, which in turn fueled the passion of anarchists shouting solidarity and anti-police slogans. After the black bloc reached the Exarchia district of Athens, riots that lasted all night broke out around the Polytechnic School of Athens, which happens to be the place that had been squatted by the students during the revolt of 1973.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4MMRd7u_CE

Note: The protester with the police shield is not an undercover policeman. Several riot police shields and helmets had been taken as trophies by protesters following an attack at a police van in Exarchia earlier in the afternoon.