Athens Polytechnic Uprising

National Metsoveion Polytechnic School of Athens – Greece.
Monument to the victims of the Athens Polytechnic Uprising, 17 November, 1973.

In April 21, 1967, Greece had been under a military dictatorship (Junta), a regime which abolished civil rights, dissolved political parties and exiled, imprisoned and tortured politicians and citizens based on their political beliefs.
The Polytechnion Uprising is an outstanding event in recent Greek history. On November, 1973 students at the Athens Polytechnic School (Polytechneion) went on strike, barricaded themselves in the school campus and started protesting against the military regime. Events began on November 14th and ended on November 17th, 1973 with the unprovoked intervention of army tanks and the attack by the army and police against those besieged inside the Polytechnic Campus and the demonstrating supporters outside in Patission Street. These few days saw the growth of an impressive popular uprising centered at the Polytechnic School. The people of Greece and the country's youth all rallied in support of the students, united around the ideals: Freedom, Democracy, Independence, Education and Social Progress. The toll of the Polytechnion uprising was tragic. Several demonstrators were killed; many more were arrested by the military police and were tortured for months in military prisons. The Junta fell a few months later and Polytechnion is being commemorated every year on November the 17th. The student uprising was a courageous and heroic act of resistance against the military dictatorship, and therefore a symbol of resistance to tyranny.

Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο.
Το μνημείο του αγώνα των φοιτητών στο προαύλιο του Πολυτεχνείου.

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART