Thousands of protesters marked on Sunday the 40th anniversary of the student uprising against the seven-year military dictatorship which led to the restoration of democracy in the country, with a customary mass rally across the center of Athens.

Anti-austerity slogans dominated the celebration once again this year, as recession- hit Greeks are still struggling to tackle the severe three-year economic crisis.

"Bread, Education, Freedom," chanted citizens who marched from the National Polytechnic School, the site of the 1973 uprising, to the US embassy in Athens on Sunday.

This was the main slogan of youth and peoples four decades ago. The uprising ended with more than 20 casualties, but paved the way for the restoration of democracy a few months later.

As Greece is facing new tough challenges in recent years, the country's political leadership, university students and thousands of people who reached the Polytechnic School this week to place wreaths at the monument honoring the dead, compared the pro-democracy struggle to today's painful efforts to exit the crisis.

"The struggle was strong and peaceful," President Karolos Papoulias noted in his message for the day, commenting on the mounting social tension triggered by harsh austerity introduced to counter the crisis, and on the violence which has marred anti- austerity protests in recent years.

"Each year I join the celebration with my children, because we should never forget our history and struggles for democracy, freedom and national sovereignty. The uprising's message today is more relevant than ever compared to the past, because much is at stake," teacher Andreas Katsoulas told Xinhua during the protest with his son Alexis by his side.

"We are living hard times in Greece. The world should know that. But we don't give up. I believe our children will live better days, " he added.

Sunday's march which was organized by student unions ended without major clashes between protesters and police under stringent security measures.

Demonstrators set American and Nazi flags on fire in front of the US embassy in protest of Washington's support for the junta at the time and in protest of the actions of the neo-fascist Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) party which entered the Greek parliament for first time last year, capitalizing on people's frustration over austerity.

"Forty years later, history is being repeated. I believe that at this moment in Greece we are facing a kind of fascism. Back then, people hit the streets to fight. The same should happen today," Vicky Hatzipetrou, a private sector employee, told Xinhua, blasting neo-fascist violence against political opponents and migrants, as well as the requests of international lenders for tough measures in exchange of more rescue loans.