Greece – Commemoration day of the student revolt in 1973 turns to Riot

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

Like every other year the police measures are suppressive to an extreme length while this year almost 8.500 cops or more were guarding a march of 15.000 people focused particularly around the black block. Several days before, the police through the mass media was trying once again to deter people from joining the protest especially fearing solidarity actions and reactions to the more than 7.000 prisoners on hunger strike demanding humane living conditions inside prisons while since the beginning of the hunger strike every day and night dozens of solidarity attacks took place by anarchists against mainly state targets and banks continuously injuring the police image or at least that’s how they media portrayed it.

On that 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, a fact that didn’t deter anarchists from joining the protest or even the heavy rain which was pouring throughout the protest, the contrary, while the biggest black block in years was formed consisting of approximately 2.000 or more. 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.

Regardless of the heavily guarded black block and embassy when they reached the final destination due to the suppressive and provocative police attitude the protest turned into a riot while bottles, stones, fireworks and several petrol bombs were hurled against the riot police reminding people that a dictatorship wearing a democratic mask is still a dictatorship.

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