The student struggle against the junta regime, which began in February 1973, developed into a popular movement and culminated in the occupation of the Metsovo Polytechnic by students on November 14, which escalated into an uprising and an uprising in the uprising. November.
Polytechnic 1973 AP
The riots and riots had already begun in February 1973, when students decided to abstain from classes, wanting to show their reaction in this way to the junta regime that was in power by the 21 April of 1967 and who had abolished almost all individual freedoms, disbanded political parties and exiled, imprisoned and tortured politicians and citizens on the basis of their political beliefs.
The students' abstention from their classes in February was followed by a demonstration inside the Polytechnic, where violating the asylum, the junta ordered the police to intervene. The arrest of 11 students sparked the anti-dictatorship sentiment of the young people and led them to the decision to occupy the Athens Law building. These facts are often referred to as "The harbinger of the Polytechnic uprising".
The tension, however, peaked a few months later, on November 14, when students at the Polytechnic decided to drop out again. The "Free Besieged", as these students called themselves, were fortified inside the Polytechnic in Stournari and started the operation of the independent radio station of the Polytechnic, a means that proved to be of utmost importance in their communication with the outside world, mobilization of the world and information. their.
Polytechnic, 1973 ASSOCIATED PRESS
Radio Station "Here Polytechnic, here Polytechnic"
“Here Polytechnic! Here Polytechnic! Greek people, the Polytechnic will remain the stronghold and the hearth of the struggle. All the people to gather around the premises of the Polytechnic, to remain in the streets of Athens and to take to the streets of every major city in Greece. The Polytechnic is fortified with the breasts of the students μας Our struggle is common. It is an anti-echo struggle. It is an anti-dictatorship struggle. It is an anti-imperialist struggle. Down with the dictatorship. Long live Democracy… ”, the historical slogan, the speech that was heard on the radio and will remain in history forever.
The radio station of the Polytechnic was a Radio Meteor in the history of Greek Radio and it is a world originality.
George Kyrlakis, later ERT technician, is the electronic radio pirate, who made in a record time of a few hours, his transmitter "HERE POLYTECHNIC" in the laboratories of the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. An excellent radio technician, he realized the idea for the "free besieged" of the Polytechnic to have their own radio cry and to stir up the entire Athenian people and not only.
Polytechnic 1973 ARISTOTLE SARRIKOSTAS @ ERT ARCHIVE
Based at the National Technical University of Athens, the station started operating on November 15, 1973.
Within a few hours of operation, the station "HERE POLYTECHNIO" was heard all over Athens, while it was also broadcast by foreign Radio Stations, the BBC London, Paris, Deutsche Welle, Germany.
The first speaker to give the name of the station was Miltos Charalambidis, then Dimitris Papachristou and lastly Maria Damanaki.
Slogans such as "Fascism is dying tonight", "Workers, farmers and students", "Americans are out", "People are hungry, why aren't you fighting" and "Down with Power", "Down with the junta, down with Papadopoulos", "People, or now or never ”,“ Students are not comfortable, they are comfortable ”,“ Bread, education, freedom ” , were heard at the historic station and remained in History.
Shortly before the tanks invaded the gate of the Polytechnic, the station broadcast:
"We are unarmed! We are unarmed! Students are facing the tanks. The soldiers are our brothers, they will not shoot us. We are fighting for a better and free Greece. To determine for ourselves the fates of our people. We fight for the freedom of this place. Greek people, outside the Polytechnic there are tanks and they have their cannon fins pointed at your children. At this moment, Greek people, you can see how the Americans became us. No more blood should be shed. No more blood! ”
The last thing that was heard was the announcer Dimitris Papachristos singing the National Anthem, when suddenly the operation of the station was stopped.
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