With a green Jaguar, a camera without a flash, the reporter’s eye and a lot of courage, the then 30-year-old photographer captured the uprising of the Polytechnic and History
A green Jaguar, a camera without a flash, the reporter’s eye and a lot of courage: With these materials, Aristotle Sarrikostas immortalized the uprising at the Polytechnic.
His photographs, as well as the narratives of the veteran photojournalist, are the irrefutable witness of what happened in the emblematic building on Patision Street in November 1973.
Read more: Polytechnic University: Many people celebrate the anniversary by leaving red carnations – See photos
Sarrikostas was then 30 years old and worked for the Associated Press. He could not reveal his status and even hide his machine at times when he felt completely exposed to the brutality of the regime. But he could not cover the sound of the “clicks” made by the shutter of his camera. Moreover, one passage from the press conference given by the students on November 15, 1973 at the Polytechnic was enough for him to understand, as he himself has said speaking to APE – BEE, that “important, historical events would take place”.
1st “click” 11/15
Aristotelis Sarrikostas moves around the grounds of the Polytechnic. It is the first day of the occupation and the student rebels, “the hundreds who become thousands”, are organizing their lives.
In the institution’s kitchen, he captures with his lens a group of students preparing a meal for their companions.
They will stay inside, he will leave for his “chemistry”, as he calls the laundry room in the Academy building 27, which houses AR’s offices and which he has converted into a photo booth to display his films.
2nd “click” 11/16
On the morning of November 16, Aristotelis Sarrikostas is again on the street, next to the protesting students. He photographs the protesters without fear in order to return to his “chemistry” at some point.
There he will find him in the evening of the same day, there the sound of the tank tracks will reach.
Sarrikostas takes two motorbikes, gets down with his Greek-American manager and with the green Jaguar with English plates that the latter has as a foreign correspondent, they move between the phalanx of tanks to reach Patision. Sarrikostas prepares his equipment, gets out of the car, stands between policemen and thugs, listens to say “yes” and “order” people holding revolvers in hand. But it does its job.
3rd “click” 17/11
It dawns on Saturday, November 17. Sarrikostas has stayed there all those hours, he has heard the students shouting at the soldiers “we are brothers”, he does not feel fear, he has taken enough film that he hides in his socks and underwear.
His watch reads 3 to 7 minutes when he sees the tank turn its turret upside down and reverse. For a moment he thinks he is leaving, but he soon realizes that he was wrong because the tank hits his engine and falls with all its force into the pillars of the Polytechnic’s gate. Although experienced, he cannot avoid surprise. He takes out his machine and captures the tank attack.
This is how he himself recounts the sequel: “Policemen attacked me with bullets. Fortunately, I zig zag away from them and start running. I hear gunshots, screams, groans of students, voices of policemen. I catch up and turn into the Academy, fall into a cordon of 300 policemen, “calm down”, put the machines in the bag and ask them to pass and pass. In the office, until the morning I print…”.
His photograph, together with the film taken by the Dutch journalist from the Acropolis hotel, are the only evidence and the irrefutable witness of the events.
RES-EMP
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I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
