Riots marred Athens on the evening of November 17 which commemorated the 36-year anniversary of the Polytechnic University massacre of 1973.

Greek media reported that the march from the Polytechnic University to the American embassy along Vassilis Sofias Avenue, which was attended this year by about 14 000 people, passed off relatively peacefully. The Athens police and MAT (riot control units) deployed a force around 7 000 strong to contain any anticipated outbursts of violence.

Riots did break out later in the evening in the notorious district around Exarchia Square, Omonia Square, Alexandras Avenue, Ambelikopi, around the Polytechnic University at Patission Street and other central districts. Police battled it out with as many as 1200 anarchists, using tear gas to disperse the crowd. Thirteen policemen were injured in the clashes, vehicles and stores were shattered or torched and more than 250 people were arrested.

Politechniu was the scene of a massacre in 1973 when Greek army tanks broke into the University and shot students indiscriminately, killing dozens of youths. Since then, the Polytechnic University and the area around it witness massive rallies every year on November 17, staged by students, anarchists, KKE (Greek Communist Party) and many other organisations.

In the aftermath of the November 17 massacre, the formation of a Marxist paramilitary group took place. The group's name, 17N, referred to the final day of the 1973 Athens Polytechnic uprising, which eventually culminated in the overthrow of the Greek Military Junta (1967 - 1974) also known as the Regime of the Colonels.

In 2008, the November 17 commemorations were relatively peaceful, but a major uprising occurred when 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot dead in Exarchia square in December, sparking the biggest riots in the country since 1973.