People started gathering at the Old University (Propilea) square of Athens from 7 p.m., this Thursday the 27th of September. They kept on coming by thousands, as the time went by, to take part in a highly anticipated anti-war demonstration, called by parties and organizations of the Greek Left. Since the S11 attacks, social and political life in the country has been dominated by the debate on the events and the aftermath of that day, and everybody was waiting to see that debate coming to the streets. With no more than 10% of the people supporting military retaliation against Afghanistan, according to polls, the issue here is not if you oppose the war, but from what scope you do so. And Thursday’s march was of a quite militant one.

The crowd seemed not really enthusiastic on hearing the long speeches prolonging the demonstration. The thousands of Greek Communist Party's followers were cheering their speakers, the far-left blocks were preparing for the march, the anarchists lazily discussing in small groups and many more moving around, making up a setting of unrest, so typical for big Greek demos. The speakers gave great emphasis on the forming global anti-war movement, especially the one in America. Thanks to some progressive journalism and the growing interest on international activism after Genoa, everybody was familiar with the student marches in Berkeley and elsewhere and about the big demonstrations planned in the US this weekend. The rest spoken, seemed like a deja-vu from the anti-war protests during the kosovo war: No participation of the Greek government in the war, the only real terrorist is imperialism and the international capital, no pasaran the Greek style.

But the people hadn't come to hear speeches, but to demonstrate, so at about 8.15 p.m. some 10.000 started marching to the parliament. The march was entirely peaceful, if one ignores the also traditional skirmishes between communist party's members and anarchists, but militant. Slogans going aggressively against US foreign policy, the bombings of Serbia and the suffering of the Iraqi people, the Israeli occupation and brutality, all in an anti-imperialist context. More than half of the marchers accounted for the Greek Communist Party, marching loudly and orderly. There was also a noticeable presence of the antiglobal coalitions formed for Genoa, students, organizations of the far left , but also lots of young "unaccounted" radicals. Reaching the parliament, some 2000-3000 people followed the initiative of far-left organizations, to break off to the American embassy, which after 2 kms of walking seemed very heavily guarded by hundreds of riot police. But the demonstrators sticked to being cheerful and aggressive only in slogans, so there was no violence.

This, certainly, was only the first of a series of massive anti-war demonstrations in Greece. Besides being a contribution to the global anti-war movement, it was just a warm-up.