Police measures will be especially strengthened in connection with the opening of 86th Street. International Exhibition in Thessaloniki (TEF), which will be inaugurated on Saturday, September 10, by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Operational plan EL.AS. was decided in successive meetings that had preceded the last few days. To maintain order, security measures and movement, all available forces of Thessaloniki will be on foot, while the transfer of platoons from neighboring prefectures, as well as from the services of Attica, is expected. As it became known, the number of police officers who will take part in the events will be about 3,500 people.

According to the plan, the MAT, IMET, OPKE and Drasi detachments will be deployed on the central streets of Thessaloniki, from where the planned demonstrations will take place, and the ELAS helicopter and drones will control their progress and give an image to the EL.AS. Operations center at the Thessaloniki police station. EL.AS employees will be there. who will coordinate the actions of the police.

As in previous years, police cages and fences are expected to be deployed around the I. Vellidis Convention Center to prevent protesters from moving towards the International Exhibition Center, as well as Ayantas police water cannons.

Already today, increased police patrols have begun in the central regions of Thessaloniki, and traffic and municipal police officers are taking to the streets for illegally parked cars, mainly around the TIF, in connection with the implementation of measures to ban and park vehicles.

Demonstrations

Mass participation in Saturday’s protests is expected from unions, collectives, organizations and political movements. So far, the following meetings have been officially announced (they are scheduled for the afternoon and will be accompanied by processions): at 18:00. GSEE and ADEDY call to rally at the statue of Venizelos, while the PAME call is at Chant Square. Camara (also at 6pm) will bring together people close to the extra-parliamentary left and the wider anti-authoritarian space. An online call at the White Tower of anti-vaccine people is scheduled an hour earlier. In addition, at 19:00, a meeting of the National Party “Greeks” is planned at the monument to M. Alexander. Preliminary meetings will be held from 17:00 in different parts of the city, including student associations on campus.

Tomorrow at 8:30 am, the public hospital staff will open the mobilization curtain (POEDIN gathering at the Hippocrateio Hospital), and at 6:00 pm, the security forces will take over the baton and call for a rally to the White Tower Square.

Road measures

Meanwhile, from today (until Sunday), the traffic rules announced by the Thessaloniki Traffic Authority come into force in connection with the opening of the 86th TIF and the two-day conference “2nd Thessaloniki Capital Summit”. during the day), starting with a ban on stopping and parking on Stratou Avenue and 3 September Street (the same ban is already in place on Tsimiski, Egnatia and Agia Sophia Streets, as well as on Nikis and M. Alexandrou Avenues).

The parking ban will be extended from tomorrow morning to Angelaki Street and parts of Etney Street. Aminis, Agios Dimitriou, G. Lambrakis, Armenopoulou, N. Herman, M. Andronicus and Jasonides.

In addition, from 15:00 on Saturday (depending on the development of the mobilization until its completion) a general traffic ban will be in effect in the center of Thessaloniki and in particular on the following streets: Stratou Avenue (from Kavtanzoglu to Hant Square), September 3 (from M. Alexandrou to Agios Dimitrios), Vas. Olgas (from M. Botsaris to Agia Triados), Vas. C’ September), Egnatia (from Lagada to 3 September), Ethn. Amini (from Agios Dimitrios Square to White Tower Square), Tsimiski, Agios Dimitrios (from Lagadas to Stefanos Dragoumis Square), Agia Sophia (from Egnatia to Hagia Sophia Square and also around Hagia Sophia Square), Pavel Mela and El. Venizel.

According to the Road Traffic Authority, vehicles will move along alternative routes (east to west via Katsimidis – Ring Road – Agios Dimitrios – Olympiados and from west to east via Lagadas – Ring Road – Agios Dimitrios), and traffic controllers will be at key points and will control traffic.

Source: RES