Unprecedented scenes cast shadow over Anniversary

Greece is stunned…

 

Unprecedented protests by indignant citizens occurred in more than ten cities across the country during the parade for the celebration of the rejection of the Italian ultimatum of October 28, 1940. Abusive slogans, political jeering and invasion of thousands of citizens in commemorations of the Greek "NO", from Thessaloniki to Rhodes and from Corfu to Heraklion in Crete, resulted in the parades taking place without the presence of officials, and the cancellation of the military parade in Thessaloniki for the first time in its history.

Its cancellation, when groups of citizens attacked the President of the Republic with abusive slogans, forcing Papoulias to withdraw, visibly shaken, provoked a fierce political confrontation and a "war" of statements by political leaders. Prime Minister George Papandreou, from Crete where he is chairing the proceedings of the Special Committee of the Socialist International for the Arab Spring, spoke of "efforts to undermine democratic institutions," while all political parties, except SYRIZA, condemned the jeering of officials and the storming of the streets during the parades.

The "invasion" of Indignants at Great Alexander Avenue, where the standard military parade in Thessaloniki was to take place, eventually replaced the formal event with a "people’s parade" without the presence of "officials" and forced the leadership of the Hellenic Police to justify its decision not to intervene, due to its inability to control the crowd and the fear of injuries to bystanders.