THE 46TH ANIVERSARY OF THE STUDENT UPRISING AGAINST THE MILITARY DICTATORSHIP

Lest We Forget

Yesterday we commemorated the 46^th anniversary of the student uprising against the military junta which harassed Greece for seven horrible years, from 1967 to 1974.  The uprising actually began on the 14^th November 1973 and escalated to a fully-fledged anti-junta revolt, ending, unfortunately, in bloodshed, during the early morning hours of the 17th November.

Since 1967, Greece had been under a brutal military dictatorship, which had abolished political parties and civil rights and had imprisoned, tortured and even killed people with different political ideologies.  They had, also, banned student elections in all the universities of the land, so numerous Greeks were fuming against the instigators of the junta, who had imposed these formidably cruel measures, particularly the students.

On November the 14^th 1973, students started demonstrating against the dictatorship at the Athens Polytechnic and at the campuses of Thessaloniki and Patras, which culminated into a robust student rebellion.   They were joined by other citizens, from all walks of life, from members of the working class to those of the intellectual elite, who were all furious with the military regime.

   

On the 16^th November, students and other fellow demonstrators attempted to march to Syntagma Square but were violently stopped by the police.   So, the students gathered at the Polytechnic and started preparing for a siege.  They collected food and medicaments and they built barricades.  They, also, broadcasted on a clandestine radio station, proclaiming that the time had arrived to overthrow the detestable junta, inviting their compatriots to join them in their effort.  Moreover, they painted anti-junta sketches on buildings and busses thus spreading the anti-dictatorship message throughout the city.  Simultaneously, exactly the same was happening, all over Greece.

At 2 am of the 17^th of November 1973 tanks were ordered to crush the student rebellion at the Polytechnic school.  At 2.15 a group of students came out of the building to negotiate a surrender, asking for a half an hour period in order to evacuate the campus.   But, unfortunately, the junta officers in charge ordered a tank to crash through the gates of the polytechnic and the policemen and soldiers stormed through the building, beating students with clubs and arresting them.  Apparently, thirty-four demonstrators were killed, many were injured and almost a thousand were arrested. This was how the Polytechnic revolt ended, with blood and fury... and then martial law was imposed.  

A dark, bloody period of Greek history which we must commemorate each year, lest we forget.




(I wish to thank ERT, SKT TVgr, The Greek Reporter, BBC, France 24, CNN for the valuable information, without which this post would not have been published.)