Thousands marched in Greece on Thursday, amid tight security, to commemorate a student uprising that helped bring down a US-backed junta in 1974. Some 3,000 people, according to a police source, participated in the annual march to the US Embassy in Athens to mark a key moment in the restoration of democracy in the country.
A similar protest was to be held in Thessaloniki later Thursday. Police in Athens formed a cordon of security vans to deny protesters passage to central Syntagma Square, which has often become a battleground in previous demonstrations. Nearly 40 people were detained for questioning ahead of the march, the police source told AFP. At least 44 people were killed in the 1973 military crackdown on the student uprising at the Athens Polytechnic university, an event generally considered to have broken the junta's grip on power and helped the restoration of democracy.
The bloodstained Greek flag that flew over the Polytechnic that night is traditionally carried at the head of the demonstration in the capital. Wednesday's demonstration came after similar protests by unions and leftist groups on Tuesday, during a two-day official visit by US President Barack Obama. There were scuffles as the protesters tried to approach the presidential mansion, where Obama was dining with Greek leaders, with police firing tear gas and stun grenades.
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