The police measures will be particularly increased in view of the opening of the 88th International Exhibition of Thessaloniki (TIF), the official opening of which will be held on Saturday by the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The business plan of EL.AS. is at the center of successive meetings held in the last 24 hours with the participation of senior executives. For the implementation of order, security and traffic measures, all the available forces of Thessaloniki will be on foot, while it is expected that platoons will be moved from neighboring prefectures, as well as from services of Attica.

Helicopter, drones and “Aiantas”

According to the planning so far, strong squads will be deployed in central streets of Thessaloniki, from where the planned demonstrations will pass. The police officers will have portable video cameras, from an EL.AS air helicopter. and drones will monitor their progress and give a live image to the EL.AS Operations Center, in the city’s Police Headquarters.

There, the staff members of EL.AS will be found. that will coordinate the movements of the police forces, while the implementation of the measures will be supervised by two prosecutors (one in the Operations Center and the other in the city center).

As in previous years, around the I. Vellidis Conference Center, police cages and railings are expected to be deployed to prevent the movement of demonstrators towards the International Exhibition Center, while “Aiantas”, the police water cannon. In addition, uniformed personnel will be assigned to guard fixed targets, i.e. building facilities – especially – of foreign authorities, such as the American consulate and also the German one (since Germany is this year’s honored country at the TIF).

Already today, increased police patrols have begun in central parts of Thessaloniki, while Traffic and Municipal Police forces are on the streets for illegally parked cars, mainly around the TIF, in view of the implementation of the measures to prohibit and park vehicles.

The demonstrations

Mass participation in Saturday’s demonstrations is expected from unions, collectives, organizations and political movements. So far, officially, the following gatherings have been announced (they are scheduled for the afternoon and will be followed by marches): At 6 p.m. GSEE and ADEDY are calling for a gathering, at the Statue of Venizelos, while half an hour earlier is the call of PAME in Chanth Square. In Kamara (6 p.m.) people close to the extra-parliamentary left and the wider anti-authoritarian space will gather.

The curtain on the mobilizations will be opened tomorrow, Friday, at 8:30 a.m., by the workers in the public hospitals (POEDIN gathering at the Hippocrates Hospital), while the “baton” will be taken at 6:00 p.m. by the Security Forces, who will call for a gathering in the square of White Tower.

Traffic measures

In the meantime, the traffic regulations announced by the Thessaloniki Traffic Directorate, in view of the opening of the 88th TIF, are put into effect from today (and until Sunday afternoon), starting with the measure of the prohibition of stopping and parking on Stratou Avenue and the street September 3rd. This measure will be extended from tomorrow morning to Angelaki and Ethn streets. Amynis, in parts of Agios Dimitriou, Gr. Lambraki streets, as well as in Armenopoulou, N. Germanos and Iasonidou streets.

From 3 pm on Saturday, moreover, (depending on the development of the mobilizations and until their completion) a universal traffic ban will apply in the center of Thessaloniki and in particular on the following streets: Stratou Avenue (from Kavtanzoglou to Hanth Square), September 3rd (from M. Alexandrou to Agios Dimitrios), Bas. Olgas (from M. Botsaris to Agia Triados), Vas. Georgiou (from Agia Triados to M. Andronikos), Nikis Avenue, Kountourioti, K. Karamanli (from Katsimidis to C’ September), Egnatia (from Lagada until September 3), Ethn. Amyni (from Agios Dimitrios to White Tower Square), Tsimiski, Agios Dimitrios (from Lagadas to Stefanos Dragoumis), Agia Sophia (from Egnatia to Agia Sophia Square, as well as around Agia Sophia Square), Pavlou Mela and El. Venizelou.

As announced by the Traffic Authority, the movement of vehicles will be conducted by alternative routes (from east to west via Katsimidis – Ring Road – Agios Dimitrios – Olympiados and from west to east via Lagadas – Ring Road – Agios Dimitrios), while traffic wardens will be at key points and will regulate traffic. Changes are also expected to be made to city bus routes.