Syntagma Square

The controversy surrounding the closure of Athens' historic Ideal and Astor cinemas has reignited a larger debate on the often-miserable state of the city center, and particularly the area between Omonia and Syntagma squares.

The annual student parade commemorating the start of Greece's independence struggle from Ottoman rule took place in the center of Athens on Friday. Similar celebrations were held across the country. The armed forces will hold a parade on Saturday around Syntagma Square. It will be almost impossible to drive into the city center from 6 a.m.

The 24-hour strike by Greece's largest private and public sector unions is also expected to close public services and state schools and disrupt city transport.
It is the latest in a series of protests following a head-on collision between a passenger and freight train in the central Greek region of Tempe. There were more than 350 people in the passenger train, mostly students.

The operational plan of the Hellenic Police (ELAS) was finalized at the weekend for the security measures on Monday, the day of the funeral of the former king Constantine. 

Police officers of all specialties were already on duty on Sunday in the center of the capital as the first representatives of royal families arrived in Athens to attend the Monday service. 

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands will pay an official three-day visit to Greece on Sunday, following an invitation by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

Kostas Bakogiannis, mayor of Athens, spoke to "MEGA" television about the Great Walk, the flood defenses in the heart of the city and the much-discussed statue of Maria Callas.

Students and teachers take part in a rally against education reforms promoted by the conservative government - which, among other things, foresee the presence of police on university campuses - in Athens Thursday. About 4,000 people marched to Syntagma Square, while a smaller gathering took place in the northern port city of Thessaloniki.

A large-scale operation by cleaning crews of the Athens municipality to remove smudges and graffiti from building walls, shop shutters, planters, marble columns and phone booths was completed on Tuesday on Ermou, the capital's commercial high street.

Five metro and ISAP electric railway stations in central Athens have been ordered to close from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday in a bid to stem public movement and avert crowds from gathering at public squares in the downtown area for Christmas, amid fears of a spike in coronavirus transmission.

Municipal crews have removed graffiti and paint from Athens' Stadiou Street as part of a 20-day campaign to clean up the city center.

Work focused on removing slogans, tags and smudges that covered an area of about 3,300 square meters along the popular shopping street that branches out of Syntagma Square.