Athens Polytechnic uprising

Athens Polytechnic uprising
Εξέγερση του Πολυτεχνείου Part of the Greek junta and the Cold War
Protesters outside the Athens Polytechnic on Patission Street
Date	14–17 November 1973
Location	National Technical University of Athens 37°59′16″N 23°43′54″E
Caused by	Junta's authoritarianism
Goals	Fall of the Junta
Methods	Student protest
Result	Uprising suppressed: Junta is preserved but weakened Dozens of students murdered International backlash Attempts at liberalization by Georgios Papadopoulos, which results in another coup launched by hardliner Dimitrios Ioannidis Founding of the far left terror organization 17N and revival of anarchism in Greece Break between the Greek youth and traditional leftist parties until then (notably Communist ones)
Parties
Greek anarchists PAK Progressive All-Student Unionist Camp AASPE Greek students more broadly ΕΚΟΝ Rigas Feraios (neutral first then joins on 15 November) Communist Youth of Greece (opposed first then joins on 15 November) Greek junta Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs Ministry of Public Order Cities Police Hellenic Army
Lead figures
Christos Konstantinidis Sylvia Papadopoulou Maria Damanaki Georgios Papadopoulos Spyros Markezinis Panagiotis Sifnaios Panagiotis Therapos Nikolaos Dertilis
Casualties and losses
40 Leftist students killed by Greek Junta and 2,000 civilian wounded in Athens
Casualties
Deaths	40 (24 identified, 16 unidentified)
Injuries	2,000+ (1,103 verified)
40 Leftist students killed by Greek Junta and 2,000 civilian wounded in Athens

The old gate

The Athens Polytechnic uprising occurred in November 1973 as a massive student demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974. It began on 14 November 1973, escalated to an open anti-junta revolt, and ended in bloodshed in the early morning of 17 November after a series of events starting with a tank crashing through the gates of the Athens Polytechnic. According to a detailed 2004 research published by the National Hellenic Research Foundation, at least 24 people died on that day due to direct or indirect actions by the Greek army and police. This was the first event in a series of political crises that ultimately led to the fall of the junta in the summer of 1974, just a few months later.

The uprising had a lasting impact on Greek politics; it marked a break between the Greek youth and traditional leftist parties (KKE), and it also saw the beginning of the revival of anarchism in Greece. The repression faced by students gave rise to the terrorist organization 17N.