Clashes break out after Greeks march to mark 1973 student revolt

Clashes break out after Greeks march to mark 1973 student revolt

A petrol bomb explodes next to riot policemen following a rally marking the 45th anniversary of a 1973 student uprising against the military dictatorship that was ruling Greece, in Athens, Greece, November 17, 2018. REUTERS/Costas Baltas

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek police clashed with young protestors in central Athens on Saturday after thousands marched to mark the anniversary of a violently quashed student uprising in 1973 that helped topple the military junta.

More than 10,000 demonstrators marched peacefully through the centre of Athens, which was heavily guarded by police.

They held banners reading "Resistance" and chanted slogans related to Greece's eight-year debt crisis that led to three international bailouts in exchange for deep austerity cuts.

The procession ended at the embassy of the United States, which many Greeks accuse of having supported the 1967-1974 seven-year military dictatorship.

After the march ended, clashes broke out between police and protesters hurling stones and petrol bombs at them in the district of Exarchia, home to Athens Polytechnic, where dozens died in 1973.

Greek TV station Alpha showed images of police firing tear gas at demonstrators locked in the Polytechnic. Other protesters built street barricades with chairs or threw petrol bombs from rooftops. Police deployed a water cannon to disperse the crowd.

Earlier, many people laid wreaths and carnations at the Athens Polytechnic to honour those killed in the 1973 revolt.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-18