Greeks march to mark 1973 student revolt against junta

Athens' Polytechnic School students carry a blood-stained Greek flag as a woman leaves flowers during a rally marking the anniversary of a 1973 student uprising against a dictatorship then ruling Greece in Athens November 17, 2012. Thousands of austerity-hit Greeks marched to the U.S. embassy to mark the bloody uprising against the military junta that ruled Greece. REUTERS/John Kolesidis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Thousands of Greeks protesting against austerity policies rallied in Athens on Saturday to mark a bloody student uprising almost four decades ago against the military junta that ruled the country at the time.

The annual protest often becomes a focal point for groups protesting against government policies and comes against a backdrop of rising public anger at a new round of wage and pension cuts approved by parliament this month.