POLYTECHNIC: Protests in Nicosia for November 17 – Student March to the American Embassy
Students are taking to the streets of Nicosia today, participating in events commemorating November 17, the anniversary of the Polytechnic uprising of 1973.
The march, organized by the Pancyprian Coordinating Committee of Students (PSEM), began at 10:30 a.m. from the offices of PASYDY and is heading towards the American Embassy, where an event will take place at 11:00.
The occupation of the Polytechnic and its bloody conclusion became a symbol of the struggle for Freedom and resistance against the Dictatorship, which led, a few months later, to the fall of the colonels’ junta. In Greece, events are peaking today for the 52nd anniversary of the uprising, with marches and wreath-laying ceremonies at the Polytechnic and a march to the American embassy in Athens, while similar actions are taking place in other cities.
The Polytechnic uprising was a mass resistance against the military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967. It began on November 14, 1973, with the occupation of the National Technical University of Athens by students who demanded democratic rights, respect for university asylum, and the abolition of compulsory military service for students.
The uprising escalated with the participation of citizens, students, and farmers, while students operated an independent radio station to broadcast their messages. On the morning of November 17, the occupation was violently suppressed; a tank destroyed the gate of the Polytechnic and military forces invaded the area, while snipers and police fired at various points around the Polytechnic.
Official records indicate that at least 24 identified individuals and 16 unknowns lost their lives during the uprising.
Official records indicate that at least 24 identified individuals and 16 unknowns lost their lives during the uprising, including high school students such as Alexandros Spartidis and Diomedes Komninos, as well as a five-year-old boy in the Zografou area. The number of injured was significantly higher, with dozens of students and citizens suffering serious injuries. The occupation of the Polytechnic and its bloody conclusion became a symbol of resistance against dictatorship and a struggle for Freedom, leading a few months later, in 1974, to the fall of the colonels’ regime.
