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TENS of thousands of people took to the streets yesterday to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising against the then ruling military dictatorship. Demonstrators chanting anti-American slogans gathered at the Polytechnic, from where they began the traditional march to the US embassy.
An estimated 20,000 protesters, including students, elderly and families with young children, flooded central streets as they made their way to the US embassy on Vassilissis Sofias Ave. They carried banners and signs with anti-American messages and slogans.
Chants such as "The Greek people want Americans out", "There is one enemy: Imperialism", and "Murderers, Facists, Americans" filled the streets. As the vanguard of the demonstration - containing a heavy Communist Party presence - neared the embassy, voices were raised for a rendition of the Greek national anthem.
Nine students carrying a Greek flag decorated with dirt and flowers led the demonstration. Hundreds of senior citizens as well as members of the Communist Youth Party followed suit, as did the Pasok Youth Party. Numerous left wing organisations, as well as the Kurdish Liberation Movement (PRK Rizgari) and human rights and migrants groups brought up the tail.
"We were part of the resistance movement during the occupation and we also supported the youth who took part in the fall of the junta," 79-year-old Andreas Mentelos told the Athens News. "I participate in this demonstration each year, as well as other marches for the good of the Greek people."
"We are here today to celebrate the 26th anniversary of the victory against the regime," Eleftheria Asiesia of the Communist Youth Liberation movement told reporters outside the US embassy. "Greeks are not anti-Americans, they are anti-imperialists." She also said they were protesting against Friday's "unwelcome" visit by US President Bill Clinton, whom she and other demonstrators called a "slaughterer of people", in reference to the US-led Nato bombing of Yugoslavia earlier this year.
The day of the Polytechnic uprising is characterised by intense anti-American sentiment, as many Greeks believe the United States backed the junta.
The US embassy and other buildings such as the offices of the European Union and the parliament building were surrounded by police officers backed up by riot police. Police vans were also used to block off the entrance to the side-streets around the grounds of the embassy. A helicopter was seen circling the demonstration as it passed the Hilton Hotel, making its way to the embassy.
"We are honouring the memory of the Polytechnic uprising as we do every year," said George Nikolopoulos of the Pasok Youth. "But this year there is a particualar importance because in two days Clinton will be visiting. We believe that we have to express our anti-American feelings. But every year the commemoration of the Polytechnic has an anti-American character."
In Thessaloniki, the peaceful demonstration culminating outside the American consulate was disrupted when a mob of anarchists began throwing coins and water bottles. This was quickly dissolved and no major damage or confrontations with the police ensued.
The November 17, 1973 bloodshed at the Athens Polytechnic occurred when rulers of the junta ordered tanks into the university's grounds to put down a student rebellion. The uprising is acknowledged as a major contributing factor in the downfall of the military regime in 1974.