Greek police fire teargas at protesters on student revolt anniversary

Members of the Greek Communist Party (KKE) flee tear gas and a water cannon during clashes with riot police, as the Greek government banned the annual march to mark the anniversary of a 1973 student revolt against the then military junta due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Athens, Greece, November 17, 2020. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek police on Tuesday fired teargas to disperse protesters who defied a coronavirus ban on rallies and an annual march to mark the anniversary of a 1973 student revolt that helped topple the then military junta.

The conservative government banned rallies from Nov. 16 to Nov. 18 after a rapid increase in COVID 19 cases and deaths forced it to impose a second nationwide lockdown. Its decision was slammed by leftist and communist opposition parties as "authoritarian".