The gates of the Athens Polytechnic were closed to the public on Friday afternoon, after remaining open throughout the morning so that people might come and pay homage or lay wreaths and flowers on the monument commemorating the November 17, 1973 student uprising fifty years earlier, against a military dictatorship then ruling Greece.
The Polytechnic building in central Athens was under police guard, while Patission and other central Athens roads were closed to traffic as people gathered for the customary march to the U.S. Embassy.
Thousands of people visited the Polytechnic during the three-day events commemorating the anniversary, including representatives of political parties and other organisations, MPs and trade unionists, to pay tribute to the young people that resisted the junta and struggled for the return of democracy.

Hundreds of citizens of all ages, even small children, gathered since early on Friday, in order to leave a flower in memory of the people who resisted and fought for democracy.
A march to the American embassy will follow.
Strong police forces have been deployed across Athens while temporary traffic measures and changes in public transport routes are in force.