19,333,227 members doing good!

shares

share your passions, stories, inspirations, and more

Seeking freedom ...
Nov 16, 2005

Type:Memorial (for the deceased)
To Honor:Other
Location:, Greece

Athens Polytechnic uprising against

dictatorship supported by USA

17 Nov. 1974 - 17 Nov. 2005

The Athens Polytechnic uprising in 1973 was a massive demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974, which was otherwise known as the Regime of the Colonels and led by the dictator George Papadopoulos. The uprising began on November 14, 1973, escalated to nearly an open anti-junta revolt and ended bloodily early in the morning of November 17 with a tank crushing the gates of the Polytechnic.

The causes

Greece had been, since April 21, 1967, under the dictatorial rule of the military, a brutal regime which denied the people basic civil rights, dissolved political parties and exiled, jailed and tortured politicians and common citizents based on their political beliefs on the grounds of a fierce anti-communism.

1973 found the junta under Papadopoulos having undertaken a "liberisation" process of the regime, which included the release of political prisoners and the partial lifting of censorship, as well as promises of a new constitution and new elections for a return to civilian rule. This created a power vacuum for leftist and generally democratic elements to undertake political action against the junta.

The junta, trying to control every aspect of politics, had from its beginnings in 1967 interfered with student syndicalism, banning student elections in universities, forcefully drafting leftist students and enforcing non-elected student syndicate leaders in the national student's syndicate, EFEE. This meddling eventually created a fierce anti-junta sentiment among students. Notably, the first massive and public action against the junta came from students on February 21 1973.

On February 21 1973 law students went on strike and barricaded themselves inside the buildings of the Law School of the university of Athens in the centre of Athens, demanding the cancelling of the law that imposed forceful drafting of "subversive youths", as 88 of their colleagues had been forcefully drafted. The regime ordered the police inside the Law School. Many students were beaten, some were arrested and consequently tortured in a "horror show of police brutality". The events at the Law School are often cited as the prelude to the Polytechnic uprising.

The uprising was also a student uprising influenced heavily by the youth movements of the sixties, notably the events of May 1968.

The events

On November 14, 1973 students at the National Technical University of Athens (also known as "Athens Polytechnic" or Polytechnion) went on strike and started protesting against US-backed military rule (the Regime of the Colonels). There was no response, so the students barricaded themselves in and built a radio station which was broadcasting across the country. Leftist politician Maria Damanaki was one of the major speakers. Soon thousands of workers and youngsters joined them.

On November 17 1973 Papadopoulos sent the army to crush the demonstration. The crackdown was brutal, but for the moment, the demonstration was crushed. Among this crackdown measures there was the crushing of the railings of the Athens Polytechnic, when a military tank was commanded to enter the building grounds. According to an official investigation undertaken after the fall of the Junta, no students of the Athens Polytechnic were killed during the incidents. Total casualties amounted to 24 civilians, including high-school student Diomedes Komnenos.

Papadopoulos used the uprising as an excuse for bringing back the "military law" he had withdrew during the "liberisation" process, when he realised the process had failed. He could have crushed it from the first day, but he didn't. Lot's of people were killed. No students were killed INSIDE the building, but lots of them were killed outside. Even a 5 year old boy was killed miles away from the Polytechnic, on the athenian suburb of Zografou, by a small group of soldiers who had installed a machine gun on a hill. Mihail Mirogiannis, 19 years old, was walking outside the Polytechnic on Sunday, November 18. He was killed in cold blood by officer Dertilis, who was there. The archives of the trials which followed after the fall of the Junta, offer lots of accounts and insights on the circumstances of the deaths of many civilians and students that night.
Visibility: Everyone
Posted: Wednesday November 16, 2005, 5:27 am
Tags: [add/edit tags]

Group Discussions start a discussion
Comments
Or, log in with your
Facebook account:
Compose your comment and submit:

Rob M. (536) 		Friday November 18, 2005, 2:14 am
Woah, great story/history....I'd never heard of this event. The photo (and the story) reminds me of the Tiananmen Square uprising by students & people of China in 1989.. peace, Rob =][=

foxy v. (119) 		Friday November 18, 2005, 2:17 am
Rob thank you for taking the time to read it. Not many people know about US contribution to this dictatorship as well as in others.

Author

foxy v.
Author Tools:
Compose New Share
female , married
Sweet Grass, MT, USA
FOXY'S SHARES
May
14
(0 comments  |  discussions )
http://www.thepetitionsit e.com/13/Help-save-the-An tarctic-whales*whale*Watc h the videohttp://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=vU4HAIoUdyEWha le Call, an Australian based NGO, whale conservation and research organization, in its bid to have a halt placed against...
Mar
2
(1 comments  |  discussions )
Hello everyone. I am trying to organise a meat out near Missoula, MT for March 20 or March 21. Anyone interested? Please contact me so we can figure it out. for more information on the meat out day visit http://www.meatout.org/ ...
Feb
14
(4 comments  |  discussions )
How to Make Raw Vanilla Almond MilkRaw almond milk is more delicious than soy milk, healthier than cow's milk and less expensive than any kind of packaged milk.(plus it's CRUELTY FREE!) It's also loaded with healthy oils that prote...
Oct
29
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Sharon Stone's fur wardrobe raises eyebrows in RomeFighting Against Fur The truth is simple: Fur and fur trim kill. With so many attractive and sensible alternatives available, fur is simply unnecessary. Even purchasing the tin...


ads keep care2 free
SHARES FROM FOXY'S NETWORK
May
20
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Today is May 20th, the day before my one year wedding anniversary and also the day my son is getting married.  What a beautiful day!  Marriage is a sacred commitment.  All relationships are sacred, but marriage is an agreement to be c...
May
12
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Mother's Day.  How do we honor our mother?  We all have mothers, whether they are living or not, whether we like them, love them or even know them, they're ours.  And we are all mothers, too, even if we don't have children.  We a...
May
5
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Medicine doesn't heal.  Drugs don't heal.  Herbs don't heal.  Homeopathy doesn't heal.  Neither does food, color, aromatherapy, the hospitals, the medical doctors, the shamans, the naturopaths, the chiropractors, the nurses, the p...
May
1
(1 comments  |  discussions )
Loneliness in fall is fine   &nb sp;   &nbs p;     ;         & nbsp;   &n bsp;   &nb sp;    Even if it’s nice to walk...
Apr
28
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Religion and its practices can often be viewed as "pie in the sky," impractical, goody-goody, out of touch with today's people, ritualistic, irrelevant, hypocritical and a few other not so positive things. In order for it to be very useful, just like...


ads keep care2 free
MORE TRIBUTE
May 7
Tribute: Heroe's of the Wild by Inga Y.
(0 comments  |  discussions ) — Species around the world face new challenges that stress their ability to adapt or compete for their survival. Rapid changes in climate are impacting whole ecosystems, population growth is diminishing global resources – consuming energy, pollut... more
May 3
Tribute: My Light by Trey E.
(0 comments  |  discussions ) — This is my way of saying firstly Thank you to God for such a beautiful and inspiring little lady named Ariell Adele, and secondly to Ariel herself. To most people animals are nothing more than souless creatures with little or no value and nothing to o... more
Apr 19
Tribute: In Memory of My 13 Year Old Son ^^Jeremy Daegan Hicks^^ by SHEILA H.
(0 comments  |  discussions ) — Jeremy was dx. at 12 years old with CNS & Brain Tumors. He fought for 11 months without a single complaint. He is missed each and every day. Jeremy died 2 months after he turned 13 on July 9, 2006. Jeremy's birthday is coming up on April 28.......... more
Apr 17
Tribute: LED glowing with Apple logo for iPhone by Aimer g.
(1 comments  |  discussions ) — "Light your iPhone Apple on back" You have to install by yourself, it's fun, it has installation detail on website, click here to see more information about this product. more
Apr 15
Tribute: My Beloved Cat, Simon by Lauren K.
(0 comments  |  0 discussions ) — Simon was my baby.  He was loved and he will be missed.  Simon was born 10/1995 and he passed away 09/01/2011.  He was there for me through so much.  When he got sick it took a long time for me to face the fact that he was not... more
 
Content and comments expressed here are the opinions of Care2 users and not necessarily that of Care2.com or its affiliates.
Copyright © 2012 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved