Greece will on Wednesday be holding annual celebrations for the anniversary of the 1973 student uprising in the Athens Polytechnic, which helped destabilise and topple the military junta then ruling the country and bring back democracy.
Events for the 48th anniversary will be held as normal, including a march to the US Embassy, starting at 8:00 in the morning when the gates of the Polytechnic open for the ceremonies and laying of wreaths. The gates will close again at 13:00 when the visitors will depart and the closing ceremony will be held in the courtyard with a speech by a professor of the Metsovian Polytechnic and other events.
The anniversary celebrations will not be suspended as they were last year due to the pandemic but strict protection measures will be observed by all participants. As a precaution to protect public health, the university decided on heightened security measures around the buildings on Patission Street, which remained closed since Monday.
Due to the anniversary, there will also be changes and modifications to public transport routes, with the Hellenic Police having ordered that the metro station "Megaro Mousikis" be closed from 15:00 onward and the metro stations "Syntagma" and Evangelismos close from 16:30, with trains passing through without stopping.
Bus routes will also be changed around the Polytechnic building and the city centre, in line with police instructions.
The police have also imposed special traffic restrictions in the centre of Athens, with cars forbidden to stop or park since Monday, which will remain in force until 6:00 on Thursday.
Many major roads and their intersecting roads in the city centre, as far up as the Katechaki junction with Kifissias Avenue will also be entirely closed to vehicle traffic from 12:00 until the events are concluded.