University students holding a blood-stained Greek flag from the deadly 1973 student uprising, march past the Greek Parliament, background, in Athens on Friday. Several thousand people march to the U.S. Embassy in Athens under tight police security to commemorate a 1973 student uprising that was crushed by Greece’s military junta, that ruled the country from 1967-74. AP WIREPHOTO
In Athens, protesters hurled dozens of gas bombs as they confronted police in narrow streets in the city center. Police fired tear gas at the protesters. There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.
Violence also broke out in Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki.
More than 5,000 officers were on duty for annual march in the Greek capital to the U.S. Embassy, which commemorates those who died in the crackdown on the uprising against the 1967-74 junta. The sidewalk outside the embassy was blocked off by police buses.
The annual march is often used as a means of expressing displeasure with policies of the Greek, European and American governments.
Several groups were marching along the same route, with police estimating about 11,000 protesters in total.
“Resistance against fascism forever,” read one banner, while protesters chanted “Americans, murderers of the people!”
In Thessaloniki, where demonstrators burned an American flag outside the U.S. consulate, police said 9,000 people took part in rallies.
The Athens rally begins at the National Technical University of Athens, where the junta had sent a tank to crush the entrance gate as it cracked down on rebellious students inside. During the march Friday, the crowd turned against protesters from the governing Syriza party, pelting them with eggs and plastic bottles.
Across town, some anarchists rushed into the heavily guarded perimeter of the Greek Defense Ministry and scattered anti-war fliers. No arrests were reported.
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