Thessaloniki has entered full TIF mode, but by the afternoon the city center is set to change dramatically.
More than 3,500 police officers, around 60 riot-control units, drones transmitting live footage to the police operations center, preventive checks, barriers, police buses and two prosecutors monitoring the operation form the core of the security plan around the opening of the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair.
At the same time, eight Metro stations will temporarily close from 3:00 p.m., while several demonstrations are scheduled across downtown Thessaloniki.
The city is not simply hosting an exhibition today.
For several hours, it becomes the political center of Greece.
Inside Vellidis, “Greece 2030” — outside, today’s social pressures
This is what gives this year’s TIF its particular political intensity.
Inside the “Ioannis Vellidis” Conference Center, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to present a longer-term economic and political roadmap reaching toward 2030.
Outside, trade unions, farmers, pensioners, relatives of victims of the Tempi rail disaster, left-wing groups and anarchist collectives will be holding separate rallies and marches.
The contrast is striking:
the government will speak about the horizon of the next four years, while the streets will amplify the pressures of the present.
Thessaloniki turns into a security fortress
The Hellenic Police has deployed more than 3,500 officers to manage the opening events and the demonstrations expected throughout the day.
Around 60 riot-control units and equivalent police formations are part of the plan, with reinforcements also arriving from neighboring regions.
State Security and specialized police services will play a major role, with particular emphasis on prevention and rapid intervention if incidents occur.
The most tightly controlled zone will be the area surrounding the TIF grounds and the Vellidis Conference Center.
Police buses, barriers and controlled-access points are expected to prevent demonstrators from approaching the main venue during the prime minister’s speech.
Drones over the city
Technology has a central role in this year’s security operation.
Police drones are expected to monitor demonstrations and marches from above, transmitting live images to the Operations Center at Thessaloniki Police Headquarters.
This will allow commanders to follow several gatherings simultaneously and reposition forces depending on how events develop.
A police water-cannon vehicle will also remain on standby if circumstances require it.
Two prosecutors will monitor the operation: one from downtown Thessaloniki and one from the central police command center.
From 3 p.m., the city map changes
For residents and visitors, the biggest disruption will be transportation.
From 3:00 p.m., traffic restrictions are expected to expand gradually across the historic center depending on the movement of demonstrations.
Several major roads are affected, including Egnatia, Tsimiski, Ethnikis Amynis, Agias Sofias, Nikis Avenue, Stratou Avenue, 3is Septemvriou, Vasilissis Olgas and Vasileos Georgiou.
Traffic police will be deployed at key intersections, while vehicles will be diverted toward alternative roads and the ring road.
For several hours, driving into central Thessaloniki is expected to be extremely difficult.
Eight Metro stations close
The most significant intervention concerns the Thessaloniki Metro.
From 3:00 p.m., eight stations will temporarily suspend operations:
New Railway Station, Dimokratias, Venizelou, Agias Sofias, Sintrivani, Panepistimio, Papafi and Efklidis.
The remaining stations will continue operating.
There is no fixed reopening time for the eight suspended stations, as the decision will depend on the evolution of the demonstrations and security conditions in the city center.
In practical terms, a major section of Thessaloniki’s key public-transport system will be unavailable precisely as the rallies begin to peak.
Four major protest points
The day’s demonstrations are spread across several locations.
At 5:00 p.m., farmers from the national protest coordination committee are expected to gather at the White Tower.
At 5:30 p.m., PAME will hold a rally at YMCA Square, where relatives of Tempi victims and pensioners’ organizations are also expected to be present.
At 6:00 p.m., GSEE, the Thessaloniki Labour Center and ADEDY will gather at the Venizelos statue.
At the same time, groups from the extra-parliamentary Left and the anarchist space have called for a separate rally at Kamara.
The operational challenge is that these demonstrations are expected to evolve into marches through central Thessaloniki.
That means several different protest routes will be moving through the city at almost the same time.
Health workers opened the protest cycle
The protest mobilization had already begun on Friday.
Employees from public hospitals and healthcare structures, represented by POEDIN, held a gathering at Ippokrateio Hospital before marching through central Thessaloniki toward the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace.
Ambulance workers and hospital doctors also took part in separate mobilizations.
This creates another political contrast for the government, which is simultaneously using its presence in Thessaloniki to highlight investments and modernization projects in the National Health System.
Japan takes center stage at the 90th TIF
Amid the political and security intensity, the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair officially opens with Japan as the honored country.
The exhibition is intended to retain its economic, business and international character, with government officials, companies, investors and thousands of visitors attending.
Yet the first day will inevitably be dominated by politics.
The prime minister’s speech, the government’s economic announcements, demonstrations and security measures compress much of Greece’s national political agenda into a few square kilometers of central Thessaloniki.
Two Thessalonikis on the same night
That may be the defining image of the day.
On one side stands Vellidis.
There, Mitsotakis will attempt to describe Greece’s next phase, with economic measures, tax interventions and a political “horizon” stretching toward 2030.
On the other side are the streets.
There, workers, farmers, pensioners and protest movements will present their own demands and grievances.
Between the two stands the largest security operation of the day.
More than 3,500 police officers, around 60 riot-control units, drones, road closures and eight Metro stations temporarily shut.
The government will speak tonight about the future.
The demonstrators will speak about the present.
And Thessaloniki will become the place where those two realities meet — behind barriers, closed roads and a city operating under maximum security alert.
Source: pagenews.gr