For Greece, April 21, 1967, was the day when the army colonels overthrew the government resulting in seven years of dictatorship for the country.
This year marks the 54th anniversary of the 1967 military coup.
"More than five decades since the black page of 21.4.67, we are proud of the achievements of our democracy. Greece is a modern rule of law with guaranteed human rights and smooth functioning of institutions, even amid the most adverse circumstances," President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou posted.
In his message, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis posted: "Fifty-four years after the coup of April 21, the Republic is consolidating and expanding. And, on the road to Europe, Greece is changing, progressing, modernising. Fifty-four years later, we remember and we fight."
Greeks woke up to a surreal 21 April, 1967, as tanks rolled down Panepistimiou Street and battle hymns played on the radio before an announcement confirmed that the army (led by Colonel George Papadopoulos, Brigadier Stylianos and Colonel Nikolaos Makarezos) had taken over the governance of the country.
In the years that followed, the junta stuck rigidly to the time-honoured rules of brutal military dictatorship: murder, torture, and the curtailment of civil liberties (including freedom of speech).
It lasted until 1974, when Greek Cypriots staged their own coup.
