The military coup of April 21, 1967, overthrew the democratic regime and imposed a brutal dictatorship. Student protests, prompted by the imposition of compulsory military service on unionized students, essentially began with the occupation of the Law School of the University of Athens in February 1973, which was violently suppressed.On November 14, the students decided to occupy the Polytechnic, with slogans such as “Down with the Junta”, “Democracy”, “Bread – Education – Freedom”, and through their radio station they called on the people of Athens to a general strike and uprising. A crowd gathered outside the Polytechnic to support the students.The junta deployed police forces and then military forces. In the early hours of November 17, a tank breached the main gate and entered the Polytechnic. A chase across Athens followed, resulting in thousands of arrests, hundreds of injuries and around 30 deaths.The Polytechnic University uprising was the culmination of the anti-dictatorship struggle, led to the overthrow of dictator Papadopoulos and accelerated the fall of the junta in July 1974.