SPECIAL REPORT - There are reasons why Filis says the GENOCIDE of Greek Pontians never took place

By Marina Spanos

Editor in Chief HellasFrappe 

Famed philosopher George Santayana once said that "those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Over the last one hundred years our world witnessed the Holocaust, countless wars and the genocide of millions of people. All these events noted above occurred in a short period proving that remembrance alone is not the issue, the aim is to stare at the root causes that led to these mass atrocities and raise awareness about them so that they will not be repeated.

As of today, the Greek Minister of Education Nikos Filis can be considered a persona non grata. During an interview on STAR channel late on Monday night, Filis refuted the occurrence of the GENOCIDE of the Greeks from Pontus which we all know involved the slaughtering of well over 350,000 thousand innocent men, women and children. He instead said that the butchering of the Greeks in the Black Sea region by brutal Ottoman Turks was simply a case of ethnic cleansing rather than genocide.

     "I said that as a historian, considering the positions of many historians and international relations experts. We made a distinction between bloody ethnic cleansing and genocide as a phenomenon. This does not mean that we do not recognize the blood, pain and everything that Pontic people have suffered due to the cruelty of Turks. But genocide, as a strictly scientific term, is something different," said Filis.

During the interview he noted that this was his personal opinion, because, as he so eloquently noted, he did not want to impose his personal opinion as a state policy. What a laugh. He thinks we are totally oblivious to history, as well as his party’s sins on this subject (which will be disclosed further below).

His opinion was obviously not received well, and many people took offense to his words and for good reason. So why is all of Greece so angry at him today? For one, his comments are aligned to those of the Turkish government which does not recognize any genocides (Greek, Armenian and Assyrian). Most importantly it is against Greek national interests.

What is worse is that there are already some reports circulating on the web today saying that he even did Ankara a diplomatic favor by saying this.

(If this fact alone does not ignite a nerve in you, then I really do not know what would. Personally I viewed it as a direct provocation and my nerves skyrocketed.)

In my opinion he repeats the views which have already been expressed by other neocon Greeks such as Maria Repoussi (former MP for DIMAR). Some may recall that a couple of years ago she attempted to make us believe that the massacre of Greeks in Asia Minor, or Smyrna, was nothing more than a gathering at a Turkish port. This scandalous view was even documented in school text books. Thankfully the textbooks stopped being circulated but her views and attempts to push her interpretations of history as truths never did. Not only did she provoke our sentiment in the past when she walked out of the Greek parliament when they held a moment of silence over the Greeks who perished in these genocides, but she has also proposed that Greeks forget about other historical events too!

An anti-Hellene by nature, Mrs. Repousi believes that Greeks should ignore commemorating the exodus of Missolonghi, they should also stop celebrating the Battle of Spetses (with the blowing up the Armata), totally ignore the events at Kougi and she also  believes that we should stop hailing the Revolutionary Flag of Agia Lavra when we commemorate Independence Day on March 25th.  This progressive neocon thinker, and pro-Turkey voice, says that all these commemorations and celebrations are "banal" and "nationalistically cheap", and adds that they provide nothing to our national expression as Greeks. (Read relevant story by clicking HERE)

Filis, just like Repoussi, forget that they both serve (served) the Greek Parliament of which has officially recognized this historical event as a GENOCIDE and  designated May 19 as an annual day of remembrance. Specifically, the decree was published in the Greek Government Gazette on March 8, 1994 and affirmed the genocide in the Pontus region of Asia Minor. A second decree followed affirming the genocide of Greeks in Asia Minor as a whole and designated September 14th as a day of commemoration. Both these laws were signed by the President of the Republic, however, they were not immediately ratified because of political interventions from (SURPRISE SURPRISE) SYRIZA's very own Avgi newspaper. (source Wikipedia )

Don't take my word for it, check out the information for yourself on Wikipedia: It notes that the SYRIZA Leftist newspaper "Avgi" had the initiative for freezing the application of this law. At the time, the subject became the center of a political debate between various Greek politicians, with the left being against it. The president of the left-ecologists coalition Synaspismos party Nikos Konstantopoulos and A. Elefantis, known for his books on the history of Greek communism, were some of the politicians who expressed their opposition to the decree. It should be noted that SYRIZA's previous title was Synaspismos.

Thankfully, not all Lefitsts agreed with their rhetoric. The non-parliamentary left-wing nationalist intellectual and author George Karabelias bitterly criticized Elefantis and others who opposed the recognition of genocide and called them "revisionist historians". He even accused the Greek main-stream left of a "distorted ideological evolution". He said that for the Greek left May 19 is a "day of amnesia". On its part, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) has over the last decade adopted the term "Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus" in its official newspaper Rizospastis and since then it even participates in memorial events.

Therefore there is no room for excuses about so called "opinions" because we now know the stance that the SYRIZA party has had in the past on this very subject.

In any case, Filis and all of the SYRIZA party, have pledged an oath to respect the decisions of the Greek parliament. He should keep in mind that when he speaks he is not representing himself, his party's distorted ideological views, or the people who only voted for him, but he is instead representing the government of all of the Greek people (Pontian Greeks included).

As such, I decided that this would be another teachable moment, both for Repoussi and Filis, as well as all those who live in a make believe world that wants us to paint visions of sugar plums and rainbows when we refer to Turkey and its past crimes.

credit Wikipedia

     "According to various sources the Greek death toll in the Pontus region of Anatolia ranges from 300,000 to 360,000. Estimates for the death toll of Anatolian Greeks as a whole are significantly higher, a team of American researchers found in the early postwar period that the total number of Greeks killed may approach 900,000 people. Political scientist Adam Jones also suggests the figure of 750,000 casualties. Scholar Rudolph Rummel compiled various figures from several studies to estimate lower and higher bounds for the death toll between 1914 and 1923. His estimates ranged from 289,000 to 459,000 deaths in the Greek genocide throughout this period. According to the figures by the Greek government together with the Patriarchate, a total of one million people were estimated to be massacred. Source Wikipedia


THE FACTS

According to Wikipedia, in December 2007 the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) passed a resolution (with an "overwhelming" majority) affirming that the 1914–23 campaign against Greeks who lived in the Black Sea region constituted GENOCIDE. Employing the term "Greek Genocide", it affirmed that this population of Greeks were subject to GENOCIDE alongside other groups, namely Armenians and Assyrians. The resolution was adopted on December 1, 2007 and the press release issued by the organization on December 16.

Greek communities began inhabiting Anatolia (Greek for “east”), otherwise referred to as the Asia Minor, since the 12th century BCE. Wikipedia notes that the Turks migrated into Anatolia over the first millennium CE and by the 14th century had established the Ottoman Empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_genocide

     "The Pontic people lived in Turkey for well over 3000 years and are descendants of Greek colonists who arrived there long before the ancestors of present day Turks. The Turks, under the founder of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, pursued a deliberate policy of "Turkey for the Turks." It was adopted against the backdrop of the Greek occupation of parts of Asia Minor as spelled out in the Treaty of Versailles. Its purpose was to rid Turkey of its Greek, Armenian and Assyrian Christians. The resulting Greek-Turkish War of 1919-1922 and the defeat of the Greek Army sounded the death knell for Christian minorities in Turkey. The process began with Christian owned businesses being boycotted, leading to bankruptcies and confiscation of property.  Eventually intellectuals and community leaders were rounded up and executed."

Surprisingly Wikipedia also notes the methods that were used in the massacres.

      "One of the methods used in the elimination of the Greek population was the "labor battalions. Young people were captured and forced to do exhausting slave labor by the Turkish State, in order to reconstruct areas destroyed during the war. Some were sent to concentration camps and amongst the survivors was the well known writer, Elias Venezis, who later described his experiences in his book 'Number 31328.' Thousands died of exhaustion, starvation and dehydration on forced marches. This effective method was used by the Turks  to force the weaker population, including women and children, to walk for hundreds of kilometers until they died. This was known as the 'Light Death.'
If you think that these events were not recorded then think again. They were documented by American, as well as the German and Austrian diplomats of the time.
       "Unlike Germany which has taken responsibility for its sins committed in World War II, Turkey still refuses to even admit that these events occurred, let alone apologize for the genocide and ethnic cleansing it inflicted on a helpless population. Not only were the people expunged from Turkey, so too were any traces of their existence. Admitting guilt would entail casting a shadow on Kemal Ataturk. The present Turkish government has gone to extraordinary lengths to quash any attempt to publicize these events throughout the world, including keeping their own people ignorant of their history. To do so would require a reexamination of the very foundation on which the modern Turkish State is built." (Source - The Pontic Greek Genocide)"

HOW TURKS CONTINUE TO COMMIT GENOCIDE TILL THIS DAY

Today some attempt to rewrite history. Usually this is done by those with a political agenda in a winner take all approach (example George Soros). All they are basically doing is picking up where the perpetrators of a GENOCIDE left off. We can actually see this happening in the mainstream media, through the rhetoric from various neocon scholars, historians and deep thinkers. Not only are all these people in service of the Turkish government, which on its part continues to dehumanize, demonize, and destroy, by putting the "right spin" on all the events that haunt it, they are also distorting history and passing off their interpretations of history as facts.

No matter how much they try they cannot rewrite history itself, however their goal is more sinister. By repeating their lies and propaganda over and over again they hope that their views will eventually be adopted by the masses as the only truth. A fine example of this is FYROM. George Soros worked his magic in this former Yugoslav state and today all those under the age of 20, or since the destabilization of Yugoslavia, actually believe that they are direct descendants of Alexander the Great.

Everyone with half a brain knows that the Greek, Armenian and Assyrian genocides, were perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks. Even the Kurds, who were once active participants and abetted this genocide with the Ottomans (mostly against Assyrians), have today admitted this fact and now condemn this time in history. Unfortunately they, as well as other Muslim groups in the East, now find themselves in a reversal of roles and have become the target of draconian Turkish policies that are designed to suppress their identity and language. Let us not forget that this is exactly what was done to all of the Greeks who miraculously remained in some parts of Turkey.

For Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians, the genocide has not ended, and it cannot end so long as Turkey denies that it ever occurred. This is why Ankara has spent billions on influencing Western diplomats and officials to look the other way, or basically keep silent on this matter.

Has it worked?

Yes it has!

The West, (with the exception of Australia, Cyprus and very few other countries), has surrendered to this decades old denial of the Turkish government deciding that it is more important to placate the neo-Ottomans than to be truthful about history. It is no secret that they have adopted this policy on account of economic, military and geopolitical reasons. Let us not forget that the US has a huge airbase in Turkey that they need for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. From what we read Turks have threatened to close that base, cancel purchases of American military equipment, boycott American goods and even pass their own resolution condemning 19th century US government massacres of Native Americans (if the US ever did recognize any of these GENOCIDES.

Unfortunately there are other more controversial reasons as well.

A couple of years ago, Turkey was awash in dramatic disclosures connecting officials there to the right-wing Grey Wolves, the terrorist band which has preyed on the region for years. In 1981, a terrorist from the Grey Wolves had even attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in Vatican City.
Did Turkey allow the mafia and right-wing extremists to operate death squads and to smuggle drugs with impunity? This I cannot answer dear Frappers, but reports at the time (check link below) claim that the rupture of such state secrets also released clues to other major Cold War mysteries.

     "Besides the attempted papal assassination, the Turkish disclosures could shed light on the collapse of the Vatican bank in 1982 and the operation of a clandestine pipeline that pumped sophisticated military hardware into the Middle East — apparently from NATO stockpiles in Europe — in exchange for heroin sold by the Mafia in the United States." (source https://syria360.wordpress.com/2015/06/27/gladio-on-the-trail-of-turkeys-terrorist-grey-wolves/ )

Do you think that operations such as those noted above died with the fall of the Soviet Union? Apparently they didn't; Operation Gladio B is the continuation of the old NATO Gladio program and geopolitical analysts claim that it covers a tangled web of covert operatives, billionaire Imams, drug running, prison breaks and terror strikes. The same officials believe that the ultimate goal is the destabilization of Central Asia and the Caucasus. You can probably find out more about this subject by just googling Gladio B on the web.

(Also, search and see how this coincides with what is happening in Syria with all the foreign rebels operating there. You will be surprised to learn that history is once again repeating itself.)

I personally am clueless on such operations, because I cannot tolerate any type of violence, but the little that I have read notes that Turkey is once again using such operations to continue its barbarism and genocidal acts in Syria. One recent article that was posted on the web and supports my argument is an interview by Taleb Ibrahim (check link in this paragraph). According to him Turkey's T.Erdogan is displacing people in Syria. Does the tactic sound familiar to the events endured by the Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians one hundred years ago? It is! He says that the so called rebels, (who we all know now are foreigners that are paid by countries such as Qatar, S.Arabia and Turkey to destabilize this country) are "cleansing" many areas in Syria while Turkey is shipping thousands of Islamist Turks from other Turkish lands there to settle, take over entire villages and eventually bring down the Syrian government of Bashir Assad. In a few words, he reveals how Erdogan is pushing Syrians out of Syria and changing the demographics of this country from Arabs to Islamist Turks (by using ISIS to perform GENOCIDE). Why is he doing this? Aside from his dreams of reviving a new Ottoman empire he is also acting on behalf of many interests that cannot perform these acts because they are acts of war! Even wars have rules and ethnic cleansing, or in this case GENOCIDE, cannot be committed and is considered as a war crime. (View VIDEO by clicking HERE).


THE BOTTOM LINE

How can such psychological wounds be healed if a crime is never acknowledged by the perpetrator? To survive ordeals such as a genocide, or to lose your loved ones to such senseless violence, has an undeniable effect on the shaping of one’s character, personality, and general life experiences. Genocide is a grave matter and exemplifies the absolute worst in, or shows its perpetrators to be devoid of, humanity. If Greek government officials are permitted to dismiss these acts, then genocide is trivialized, and a vicious cycle ensues. So now do you understand why we decided to slam the statements by Mr. Filis?

Friends, the plight of the Greeks of Pontus, just like the Asia Minor Catastrophe and the Greek-Turkish War of 1919-1922, are events that shaped modern Greek History and that speak to the hearts of all Greeks. The only thing that Pontians want is that the world will come to know of their tragic fate. Those who deny these events, as Filis and Repoussi have done, only help countries such as Turkey to repeat such atrocities again (example Syria).

As with the Armenian Genocide, Filis and Repoussi and all Greek neocons opposing the recognition of the Greek Genocide of Asia Minor, attempt to shift focus away from the unfathomable reality of the historical event by portraying the issue as one of nationalism and ethnic conflict rather than of healing and remembrance.

I think prominent U.S. scholar and author of “Black Dog of Fate” Professor Peter Balakian said it best when he stated:

     "the driving force behind the renewed awareness of Turkey’s Greek holocaust transcends nationality and ideology: this is not about ethnic conflict, Greek vs. Turk or Armenian vs. Turk, this is about universal moral issues and universal human rights issues... Clearly, denying genocide paves the way for future genocide, for it suggests to the world that governments can commit mass murder with impunity.”

My personal feelings about Alexis Tsipras’ government are irrelevant at this point because the facts speak volumes. No government official has a right to express his or her “opinion" on historical facts which have shaped borders and are still considered as fresh wounds by the Greek people. When they make statements –whatever these statements may be- they are speaking as an entity, or a government. If they want to express their personal views then they should get out of office and write a book. To deny historical facts is not only an attack on the morale of the Pontians, who till this day live with this bloody memory, but it is an affront to the dignity of all the victims, both living and dead.

Thankfully I am not alone with these views, many ministers from all parties criticised Filis’ statements as did a score of people from all walks of life on the social networks. The main opposition New Democracy party even organized a petition demanding his removal from office as did Pontian Greek associations.

The Greek Left, especially SYRIZA, now has a chance to rehabilitate its past and correct the mistakes that it once made on this issue by unequivocally recognizing that what befell on the Greek populations in Turkey was GENOCIDE as defined by the 1948 United Nations Convention on The Prevention and Punishment of The Crime of Genocide. If the government wants to save face then it must immediately scream out the word GENOCIDE, force Filis to apologize to the Pontian people, and then ask him to resign.

I will repeat it once again, refusing to say the word GENOCIDE because it will sour Turkey is just another form of aggression and simply allows Ankara to continue with the process of genocide. Most importantly, it prevents the healing of wounds that were inflicted by the GENOCIDE on our people, kills the dignity of the remaining survivors and destroys the remembrance of this tragic crime.

A couple of days ago I announced that I would not be posting any articles on HellasFrappe because the blog has not received any donations to maintain itself. Following the latest comments by Filis, I decided to wave this decision and write a special report to voice my opinion on his statements because -as always- when something tugs at my heart, heats up my nerves and provokes my logic I react immediately. As I was researching the material used in this article I came across this video which was posted by a Greek analyst who is an expert on Turkish affairs and then re-posted on facebook by a Frapper. It features a famed Turkish performer singing about the plight of the Pontian people. This should put some neocon Greeks to shame since they regrettably want us to forget, while some Turks, who know the truth, have the courage to even sing it out loud. (Please listen to the words).

NOTES

• The genocide of the eastern Christians of the city of Smyrna in 1922 as researched and documented by Professor M. H. Dobkin (source)
• EXPOSED: The REAL cause of the sudden Syrian migrant crisis into Europe
• Operation Gladio - http://operation-gladio.net/counter-guerilla and http://operation-gladio.net/tags/turkey
• The Ottoman Greek Genocide by Malini Nair, Rachel Steinberg and Gina Montegna - https://prezi.com/swim4wlp69mt/ottoman-greek-genocide/
• In Commemoration of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus - http://www.notevenmyname.com/3.html
• When Greeks Think about Turks: The View from Anthropology - https://books.google.gr
• Genocide Watch - http://www.genocidewatch.org/aboutus/thecostofdenial.html
• Action alert - http://www.ahmp.org/gkgen.html

Declaration of 246 Economics Professors at Greek Universities on Referendum & Importance of YES Vote

The following declaration, which is signed by 246 professors of Economics Schools and Universities across  Greece, and which was first published on kathimerini, explains why they are going to vote YES at this Sunday's referendum.

     By this declaration, we want to express our great distress about the latest developments in our country. We strongly believe that, at this crucial point, it is of paramount importance to avoid excesses, to show national cohesion, to preserve our position in the Eurozone and the EU, and to regain our credibility in the international community. Further, the fiscal consolidation program, drawn jointly with our EU partners and other creditors like the IMF, should be characterized by the lowest possible recessionary consequences and the highest possible level of social protection, aiming at growth and job creation in the private sector as soon as possible. The prolonged political uncertainty has led the economy to a renewed recession, has reversed the decline in unemployment, has lowered tax revenue and has widened the fiscal gap.
     Taking into account that the proposals of our creditors and the Greek government were converging until last Friday, we believe that what is really at stake in the coming Referendum, irrespective of the precise formulation of the question, is whether Greece will remain, or not, in the Eurozone and, possibly, whether it will remain in the EU itself.
     The funding of the Greek economy by Eurozone countries was suspended last weekend after the Greek government abandoned the negotiations at a time when no alternative funding opportunities seem to be available. We are already at the first stage of a very slippery process that, if not urgently reversed, will lead to a chaotic debt default and exit from the Eurozone. Bank closures and capital controls (that had been so far avoided throughout the deep crisis) constitute only the first rupture from the Eurozone and the EU itself
     We believe that the recessionary consequences of debt default and exit from the Eurozone, especially in such a chaotic and superficial way, will be much worse than the effects of a painful compromise with our EU partners and the IMF. A disorderly break of our country from the core of Europe will have disastrous economic, social, political and geopolitical consequences.
     Short-run consequences: Bank closures, cut in the value of deposits, sharp decline in tourism, shortages of basic consumer goods and raw materials, black market, hyperinflation, firm bankruptcies and a big rise in unemployment, rapid fall in real wages and the real value of pensions, deep recession and serious problems in the functioning of public health care and defense, social unrest.
     Medium-term consequences: international isolation of the country, no access to international capital markets for several years, low growth and anemic investment, high unemployment combined with high inflation rates, suspension of the flow of EU structural funds, significant decline in the standard of living, poor provision of basic public goods and services.
     All these developments should not have happened after 5 years of big sacrifices by the Greek people, and a tremendous fiscal adjustment, right at the time when the economy was starting to recover, with favourable expectations for further easing in the terms of our public debt obligations. They should not have happened in a period when the European economy is returning to positive growth rates and other peripheral euro countries start growing and reducing unemployment. They should not have happened in a favorable time for further EU integration that will benefit the South and when the ECB facilitates growth with excess liquidity and zero interest rates.
     Leaving the Eurozone, especially with this chaotic and superficial way, would likely lead to a process of leaving the EU too, with unpredictable and disastrous consequences for the national security and the democratic stability of our country.
     For all these reasons, Greece must remain in the core of the EU, which is the Eurozone.
     For all these reasons, our unequivocal answer to the real question of the referendum is: YES. Yes, to Europe.

1. Adam Αntonis University of Ioannina
2. Aggelidis Timotheos University of Peloponnese
3. Alexakis Christos University of Pireaus
4. Alexakis Panagiotis Athens University
5. Anagnostou Aggeliki University of Thessaly
6. Andoniou Fabio University of Ioannina
7. Andronikidis Αndreas University of Macedonia
8. Androutsopoulos Ion Athens University of Economics and Business
9. Androutsopoulos Κonstantinos Athens University of Economics and Business
10. Apergis Νikolaos University of Pireaus
11. Apostolopoulos Thodoros Athens University of Economics and Business
12. Argouslidis Paris Athens University of Economics and Business
13. Arvanitis Stelios Athens University of Economics and Business
14. Atsalakis George Polytechnic of Crete
15. Avlonitis George Athens University of Economics and Business
16. Balios Dimitris Athens University
17. Ballas Apostolos Athens University of Economics and Business
18. Baltas Georgios Athens University of Economics and Business
19. Baltas Nikolaos Athens University of Economics and Business
20. Basiakos Ioannis Athens University
21. Bellou Victoria University of Thessaly
22. Benos Nikos University of Ioannina
23. Benos Theofanis University of Pireaus
24. Billias Ioannis Athens University of Economics and Business
25. Bitros Georgios Athens University of Economics and Business
26. Blavoukos Spyros Athens University of Economics and Business
27. Bourantas Dimitris Athens University of Economics and Business
28. Bourantonis Dimitris Athens University of Economics and Business
29. Bournova Eugenia Athens University
30. Brisimis Sofoklis University of Pireaus
31. Chalamandaris George Athens University of Economics and Business
32. Chalkias Ioannis Athens University of Economics and Business
33. Charitakis Nikos Athens University
34. Chletsos Michael University of Ioannina
35. Chlomoudis Kostas University of Pireaus
36. Chortareas George Athens University
37. Chouliaras Asteris University of Peloponnese
38. Christopoulos Dimitris Panteion University
39. Christopoulou Sofia University of Macedonia
40. Christou George Athens University of Economics and Business
41. Damianos Dimitris Agricultural University of Athens
42. Dedoulis Manolis Athens University of Economics and Business
43. Delipalla Sofia University of Macedonia
44. Demoirakos Efthymios Athens University of Economics and Business
45. Demos Antonis Athens University of Economics and Business
46. Demousis Michalis University of Patras
47. Dialla Violetta Athens University
48. Dimeli Sofia Athens University of Economics and Business
49. Dimitriadi Zoi University of Macedonia
50. Dotsis Georgios Athens University
51. Doukidis Georgios Athens University of Economics and Business
52. Drakos Anastasios Athens University of Economics and Business
53. Economides George Athens University of Economics and Business
54. Economidou Claire University of Pireaus
55. Economou Athina University of Thessaly
56. Efstratoglou Sofia Agricultural University of Athens
57. Eleftheriou Kostas University of Pireaus
58. Fountas Stylianos University of Macedonia
59. Gaganis Chrysovalantis Univiversity of Crete
60. Gatsios Konstantinos Athens University of Economics and Business
61. Genakos Christos Athens University of Economics and Business
62. Genius Margarita University of Crete
63. Georgiou Andreas University of Macedonia
64. Georgoutsos Dimitrios Athens University of Economics and Business
65. Giaglis Georgios Athens University of Economics and Business
66. Giamouridis Daniel Athens University of Economics and Business
67. Giannakopoulos Nikos University of Patras
68. Giannelis Dimitrios University of Pireaus
69. Giannelis Νikos University of Crete
70. Giotopoulos Ioannis University of Peloponnese
71. Glavinis Panayotis Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
72. Griva Krina University of Ioannina
73. Hassid Josef University of Pireaus
74. Hatziantoniou Damianos Athens University of Economics and Business
75. Hatzipanayotou Panos Athens University of Economics and Business
76. Hatzis Aristides Athens University
77. Iatridis George University of Thessaly
78. Ifantopoulos Ioannis Athens University
79. Indounas Konstantinos Athens University of Economics and Business
80. Ioannidis Antonis Athens University of Economics and Business
81. Ioannidis Stavros Panteion University
82. Ioannou Georgios Athens University of Economics and Business
83. Iordanoglou Chrysafis Panteion University
84. Ireiotis Nikolaos Athens University
85. Kainourgios Dimitris Athens University
86. Kalamboukis Theodoros Athens University of Economics and Business
87. Kalogirou Ioannis Metsovio Polytechnic University
88. Kalyvitis Sarantis Athens University of Economics and Business
89. Kammas Pantelis University of Ioannina
90. Karagiannis Ioannis University of Macedonia
91. Karamanis Konstantinos Athens University of Economics and Business
92. Karaveli Eleni Athens University of Economics and Business
93. Karkalakos Sotiris University of Pireaus
94. Kasimatis Konstantinos Athens University of Economics and Business
95. Katranidis Stelios University of Macedonia
96. Katsimi Margarita Athens University of Economics and Business
97. Kavousanos Emmanouil Athens University of Economics and Business
98. Kazakos Panos Athens University
99. Koen Sandra Athens University of Economics and Business
100. Kollias Christos University of Thessaly
101. Konstantinou Panagiotis Athens University of Economics and Business
102. Konstantopoulos Panos Athens University of Economics and Business
103. Kontouli Maria University of Peloponnese
104. Korliras Panagiotis Athens University of Economics and Business
105. Kosteletou Nikolina  Athens University
106. Kostis Kostas Athens University
107. Kotsios Stelios Athens University
108. Kottaridi Konstantina University of Pireaus
109. Koundouri Phoebe Athens University of Economics and Business
110. Kouretas Georgios Athens University of Economics and Business
111. Kritikos Manolis Athens University of Economics and Business
112. Kyriazidou Katerina Athens University of Economics and Business
113. Kyriazis Nikolaos University of Thessaly
114. Kyriazis Dimitris University of Pireaus
115. Kyritsis Ioannis Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
116. Kyrkillis Dimitris University of Macedonia
117. Ladi Stella Panteion University
118. Lekakos Georgios Athens University of Economics and Business
119. Leledakis Georgios Athens University of Economics and Business
120. Leventakis Ioannis Athens University of Economics and Business
121. Liargovas Panagiotis University of Peloponnese
122. Liaropoulos Lykourgos Athens University
123. Loizidis Ioannis Athens University of Economics and Business
124. Lolos Sarantis Panteion University
125. Louri Eleni Athens University of Economics and Business
126. Louridas Pangiotis Athens University of Economics and Business
127. Malevris Nikos Athens University of Economics and Business
128. Malliaris Petros University of Pireaus
129. Matsagganis Manos Athens University of Economics and Business
130. Mergos Giorgos University of Athens
131. Metaxas Theodoros University of Thessaly
132. Miaouli Natasha Athens University of Economics and Business
133. Milliou Chrisovalantou Athens University of Economics and Business
134. Mylonas Nikolaos Athens University
135. Mylonidis Nikos University of Ioannina
136. Nikas Christos University of Macedonia
137. Nikolaou Ioannis Athens University of Economics and Business
138. Nikoleris Theodoros Athens University
139. Nikolopoulos Andreas Athens University of Economics and Business
140. Nikolotsa Daphni University of Crete
141. O’Donnel Owen University of Macedonia
142. Pagkratis Spiros Athens University of Economics and Business
143. Pagoulatos Giorgos Athens University of Economics and Business
144. Palis Thanos Aegean University
145. Palivos Theodoros Athens University of Economics and Business
146. Panagiotopoulou Lida Athens University of Economics and Business
147. Panagiotou Dimitris University of Ioannina
148. Panagopoulos Andreas University of Crete
149. Pantelides Theologos University of Macedonia
150. Papachristou Giorgos Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
151. Papadakis Vassilios Athens University of Economics and Business
152. Papadamou Stephanos University of Thessaly
153. Papadimitriou Stratos University of Pireaus
154. Papadopoulos Hrisoleon Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
155. Papadopoulos Konstantinos Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
156. Papalexandri Nancy Athens University of Economics and Business
157. Papanastasopoulos Giorgos University of Pireaus
158. Papandreou Andreas Athens University
159. Papapanagos Harris University of Macedonia
160. Papastathopoulou Polina Athens University of Economics and Business
161. Papathanassiou Iason University of Macedonia
162. Papavasiliou Nikolaos Athens University of Economics and Business
163. Papoulias Dimitris Athens University
164. Paraskevopoulos Christos University of Macedonia
165. Pasiouras Photis Polytechnic of Crete
166. Patronis Vassilios University of Patras
167. Patsouratis Vassilis Athens University of Economics and Business
168. Pechlivanos Lampros Athens University of Economics and Business
169. Peka Oikonomou University of Pireaus
170. Pelagides Thodoris University of Pireaus
171. Petrakis Manolis University of Crete
172. Petridou Evgenia Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
173. Philippopoulos Apostolis Athens University of Economics and Business
174. Pittis Nikitas University of Pireaus
175. Polemis Michalis University of Pireaus
176. Pollalis Ioannis University of Pireaus
177. Pournarakis Efthimios Athens University of Economics and Business
178. Pragidis Ioannis Democritus University of Thrace
179. Pramatari Katerina Athens University of Economics and Business
180. Psaltopoulos Dimitris University of Patras
181. Psarianos Jacob University of Thessaly
182. Psillaki Maria University of Pireaus
183. Raikou Katerina University of Pireaus
184. Repas Panagiotis Panteion University
185. Repoussis Panagiotis Athens University of Economics and Business
186. Riginos Michalis Athens University
187. Rigopoulou Eirini Athens University of Economics and Business
188. Roumanias Kostas Athens University of Economics and Business
189. Sakellaris Ploutarxos Athens University of Economics and Business
190. Sakellis Yiannis Panteion University
191. Samitas Aristides Aegean University
192. Sarris Alexandros Athens University
193. Sartzetakis Efthimios University of Macedonia
194. Sideropoulos Moissis Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
195. Siourounis Grigoris Panteion University
196. Siris Vasilios Athens University of Economics and Business
197. Sklavou Helen Athens University of Economics and Business
198. Sklias Pantelis University of Peloponnese
199. Skordile Sofia Harokopio University
200. Skountzos Theodoros University of Pireaus
201. Skouras Athanassios Athens University of Economics and Business
202. Skouras Dimitris University of Patras
203. Skouras Spyros Athens University of Economics and Business
204. Soderquist Klas Athens University of Economics and Business
205. Sorros Ιoannis University of Pireaus
206. Sotiropoulos Dimitris  Athens University
207. Spinellis Diomidis Athens University of Economics and Business
208. Spyrou Spyros Athens University of Economics and Business
209. Stamatopoulos George University of Crete
210. Stathakopoulos Vlasios Athens University of Economics and Business
211. Stavrakoudis Athanassios University of Ioannina
212. Symeonidis Spyros University of Ioannina
213. Tarantilis Christos Athens University of Economics and Business
214. Tatsos Nikos Panteion University
215. Thalassinos Lefteris University of Pireaus
216. Thomadakis Stavros Athens University
217. Thomakos Dimitrios University of Peloponnese
218. Tinios Plato University of Pireaus
219. Topaloglou Nicholas Athens University of Economics and Business
220. Toumpis Stauros Athens University of Economics and Business
221. Tragaki Alexandra Harokopio University
222. Tsakanikas Angelos Metsovio Polytechnic University
223. Tsakiris Nikos University of Ioannina
224. Tsakloglou Panos Athens University of Economics and Business
225. Tsamourgelis Ioannis Aegean University
226. Tsintzos Panagiotis Democritus University of Thrace
227. Tsionas Efthymios Athens University of Economics and Business
228. Tsipouri Lena Athens University
229. Tsiritakis Emmanuel University of Pireaus
230. Tsoukalis Loukas Athens University
231. Tzavalis Elias Athens University of Economics and Business
232. Tzelepis Dimitrios University of Patras
233. Tzionas Ioannis University of Macedonia
234. Tzouvelekas Vangelis University of Crete
235. Vakola Maria Athens University of Economics and Business
236. Varsakelis Νikos Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
237. Vassilatos Vaggelis Athens University of Economics and Business
238. Veletzas Κostas University of Macedonia
239. Venetis Ioannis University of Patras
240. Vettas Νikolaos Athens University of Economics and Business
241. Voudouri Irini Athens University of Economics and Business
242. Xanthakis Manolis Athens University
243. Xepapadeas Tasos Athens University of Economics and Business
244. Zacharias Lefteris Athens University of Economics and Business
245. Zopounidis Konstantinos Polytechnic of Crete
246. Zoumboulakis Michalis University of Thessaly

*first published on kathimerini

Commemoration of Distomo massacre

The village of Distomo in central Greece on Wednesday commemorated the 71st anniversary of the WWII massacre, in the presence of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Parliament President Zoi Konstantopoulou and Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos.

On June 10, 1944 nazi troops stormed the village and killed 218 men, women and children.

Earlier, the mayors and representatives of cities and villages of Greece which suffered mass murders during WWII expressed in a meeting their will to continue maintaining the memory of the massacres "out of duty and honour to those assassinated."

Their joint board named "Greek Holocausts" which claims war reparations said it will cooperate with the National Council and expressed its support for the relevant initiatives taken by the Parliament and the Greek government.

Quite shockingly, Amnesty International -a Soros-backed organization- demanded justice for the massacre in Distomo. In a press statement it underlined that the victims and their families are still denied justice and reparations.

The chief of Amnesty International in Greece Giorgos Kosmopoulos argued that as of 1907 the victims of war crimes have had the right to claim reparations from States that committed the atrocities. Amnesty International supports the right to reparations for war crimes and claims that States should not be allowed to block the civil action launched by the victims of war crimes in foreign courts, when they have no other recourse.

In the case of Distomo, survivors and families of the victims filed a claim against the German state and in 2000, the Supreme Court in Greece ratified a 1997 court ruling that reject Germany’s immunity claim and ordered that reparations be paid out. The Greek Minister of Justice at the time though refused to enforce the ruling.

The plaintiffs filed a suit against Greece and Germany at the European Court of Human Rights, which accepted Germany’s claim and threw out the case in 2002. The plaintiffs however were successful via the Italian courts. Once again, Germany refused to pay out reparations and appealed to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, claiming that Italy had violated its immunity.

The International Court confirmed Germany’s immunity for the crimes committed by its armed forces in Italy and Germany during the Second World War and admitted that its decision may avert war crime victims from claiming and receiving reparations. It noted though that these claims could be further negotiated between Germany and Italy, in order to resolve the matter. Amnesty International responded that the ICJ’s decision was a major ‘setback for rights’ and noted that so far and to its knowledge there have been no negotiations.

Mr. Kosmopoulos commented that “while there should not be any state immunity for war crimes, we believe that the negotiations that will provide reparations and ultimately a sense of justice to the victims and their families must begin immediately”.

Anarchists continue to occupy Athens University, Samaras calls Tsipras to enforce law (VIDEOS)

The Rectorate of the University of Athens remained occupied by anarchists for the 16th day in relation to the hunger strike launched by several prison inmates, with university authorities appealing to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and other political leaders to end the occupation.

As such, leader of the main opposition New Democracy party, Antonis Samaras, called on the Prime Minister to finally enforce the law and on the police to immediately intervene in the University premises that are under occupation.

     "It should have happened a few days ago," noted Samaras, noting that conditions of state dissolution and violation of fundamental rights of thousands of students and their families exist.

He said that the rectors' plea is revealing and that the responsible alternate minister's public statements show the impasse of the so-called unprecedented dialogue-policy with the hooded individuals.

     "Lawlessness dominates every passing moment for which the government and its provocative policy are fully responsible," added Samaras.

A statement was released on Monday, with university authorities arguing that lives are at risk, claiming that drug abuse is taking place on university grounds. They also note that the institution is unable to function on a basic level, since essential services are housed in the occupied buildings, such as finances, administration, student welfare, graduation ceremonies and cooperation with foreign universities.

Concluding their statement, the university authorities called the Prime Minister and political leaders to assume their responsibilities and find a solution to end the hostage situation of the Rectorate.

A number of solidarity actions and protests have been planned outside the Rectorate on Tuesday. At 9am a solidarity demonstration has been called, followed by a solidarity march towards the Courts at 11am. Finally, a motorcycle demo will take place at 5pm.

The anarchists who have occupied the Rectorate responded with a statement of their own, stressing their solidarity to the ongoing hunger strike and accusing the university authorities of generating a climate of fear, by surrounding the buildings with police forces.

According to the anarchists, the accusations of drug use are a “product of morbid imagination and malice”. They also released a video of the interior, to demonstrate that no damages have been caused to university property during the occupation.

Sources: ANA-MPA, SKAI tv, To Vima, ΝΕΡΙΤ Τv, Youtube,

ANALYSIS: The Neo-Con Attempt to Rewrite the History of World War II

After the fall of the Soviet Union, former U.S. president and one-time Cold Warrior Richard Nixon devoted the last few remaining years of his life to ensuring that Russia found its proper place in the international community. Nixon advised then-president Bill Clinton on the proper way to deal with the Russian Federation, the internationally-recognized successor state to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. One thing that Nixon would have never tolerated was the current neo-conservative penchant to deny Russia’s major role in World War II’s – known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War – victory of the Allies over Nazi Germany. Today’s leaders of the United States and their fellow-travelers in Britain, eastern Europe, and other countries would, therefore, find themselves being berated by Nixon over their failure to participate in the annual May 9 Victory Day ceremony held in Moscow.

by Wayne Madsen (VoltaireNet) - Nixon, who criticized the George H. W. Bush administration for providing "pathetically inadequate» assistance to Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union, would have had little time for those in American policymaking circles who now want to financially emaciate Russia and bring it to its knees.

Among those who are pushing for increased sanctions on Russia and ignoring its significant role in winning World War II are the sons and daughters of fascist and Nazi Eastern European emigrés who arrived in the United States in the years following the war, mostly via the Central Intelligence Agency’s «Operation Paperclip» [1], to escape trials for supporting the Nazi cause in their homelands. These emigrés helped form various right-wing groups that orbited around the «Captive Nations» supra-organization that was enabled by those in the Eisenhower and succeeding administrations. Out of this constellation of fascist organizations arose the Ukrainian-American Zionist Lev Dobriansky and his daughter, former George W. Bush State Department official, Paula Dobriansky, along with the one-time supporter of the German Gestapo in Hungary, Gyorgy Schwartz, who later called himself «George Soros.» [2] Their ideological progeny can today be found in governments throughout eastern and central Europe.

Groups centered around the emigré circles in the United States, for example, the Heritage Foundation [3], the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) [4], and the Brookings Institution [5], as well as the Soros-funded Human Rights Watch, that are pushing for a re-writing of postwar history. It appears that many of these neocon and historical revisionist groups would rather mark the defeat of Nazi puppet regimes in the Baltic countries, Ukraine, Belarussia, and Bessarabia in sorrow than recognize the Soviet victory over Nazism in celebration.

Puppets of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in various central and eastern European countries are involved in a propaganda war against Russia aimed at ensuring that the May 9 celebration in Moscow has little official international participation. The effects of this propaganda war can be seen in the recent statement by Czech General Andor Šándor, the head of Czech military intelligence who retired in 2002, bemoaning large-scale Russian «spying» in Prague. This story was leaked in order to apply further political pressure on Czech President Milos Zeman, who has said he will bolt from a purported NATO «consensus» on avoiding the May 9 celebration, and fly to Moscow. The Czech opposition has already announced that it will try to de-fund in parliament Zeman’s trip to Moscow. Prague is, by nature, a flash point in Russia’s relations with the West. The Czech Republic still refuses to allow NATO troops to be based on its soil, even though Prague continues to host such anti-Russian activities as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and various Soros-backed nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Soros interlocutors in the European Parliament are also pressuring Serbian president Tomislav Nikolic to cancel plans to go to Moscow or risk Serbian membership in the EU.

Three former U.S. ambassadors to Ukraine, Steven Pifer, John Herbst, and William Taylor, have outrageously urged Western leaders like Britain’s Prime Minster David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (who will reportedly fly to Moscow on May 10 for a wreath laying ceremony), who have announced their decision to boycott the May 9 ceremony and military parade in Moscow, to attend a Victory in Europe Day ceremony in Kiev. These «three stooges» of American «diplomacy» wrote in an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times that «even though Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush traveled to Moscow in 1995 and 2005 for other V-E Day anniversaries», President Barack Obama should celebrate the event not in Moscow but in Kiev [6]. The ambassadors refuse to recognize that were Western leaders to observe such an event in Kiev, they would be standing alongside neo-Nazis and paleo-Nazis of every stripe, including supporters of Adolf Hitler and the Ukrainian Nazi leader and German SS enabler, Stepan Bandera.

Pifer, Herbst, and Taylor are hardly alone in calling for the sacrifice of 27 million Soviet citizens in World War II to be marked in a city where neo-Nazis and skinhead mercenaries from around Europe enjoy political and military power. Pifer works for the Brookings Institution, a major center of current anti-Russian agitprop, while Herbst was a chief facilitator of U.S. Agency for International Development/CIA support for the Orange Revolution in Kiev and the development of pro-Western mass media in Ukraine. Taylor, as the chief coordinator of U.S. government assistance to the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, worked closely with the Soros organization and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to channel funds to pro-U.S. right-wing groups in the region.

While Obama and his friends in NATO will not be in Moscow, Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who has demanded war reparations from Germany for his country, will buck the NATO boycott and join Zeman in attending the ceremony on Red Square. The leaders of Iceland, Norway, Netherlands, Slovakia, and Hungary may also bolt NATO ranks and fly to Moscow for the May 9 ceremony.

In what can only be considered a diplomatic slap at the Kiev regime and its Western supporters, the leaders of the eastern Ukrainian people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine will be in the same Red Square viewing stand as the leaders from some 30 other countries, including China, India, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Serbian Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Egypt, and South Africa, a fact that will confer a semblance of de facto international recognition of their status. In addition, the leaders of the republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia will also reportedly be present, constituting a diplomatic defeat for the authorities in Georgia who view the republics as integral parts of their state.

Meanwhile, while calling for a boycott of Moscow’s May 9 VE Day event, the leaders of the Baltic nations play host to various Nazi commemorations in their capitals. Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaitė, a graduate of the Georgetown University Foreign Service School in Washington, a favorite CIA recruiting ground, does nothing to prevent annual observances at the gravesite of Lithuanian Nazi puppet leader and concentration camp builder Juozas Ambrazevicius Brazaitis, whose body was repatriated a few years ago from Putnam, Connecticut to Lithuania and reburied in Kaunas with full military honors. Estonia’s President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, a former head of the Estonian desk for the CIA-financed Radio Free Europe, was supportive of the Estonian government’s decision in 2007 to remove a Soviet victory statue Tallinn to a military base on the city’s outskirts where it now sits quite close to NATO’s cyber-warfare center. As Latvia’s leaders were joining their Baltic counterparts in championing a NATO boycott of the Moscow event, veterans and supporters of the Latvia Legion, commanded by the German Waffen SS Division during the war, recently paraded proudly through the streets of Riga in an event staged annually since 1991 [7]. Latvian President Andris Bērziņš has done nothing to thwart the Nazi ceremony in Latvia although he finds it abhorrent that any Western leader would join Russia’s leadership in Moscow to mark VE Day over Hitler. Bērziņš has long been associated with the «Stockholms Enskilda Bank», owned by the Swedish Wallenberg family and accused of collaborating during the war with Nazi Germany, earning it a spot on a blockade list of the U.S. government.

Poland’s European Council president Donald Tusk and Polish president Bronislaw Komorowski have joined their Baltic friends in trying to write Russia from the history of World War II. Polish foreign minister Grzegorz Schetyna attempted to re-write history by claiming Ukrainians, not Russians, liberated Auschwitz. Russia’s Foreign Ministry responded to Schetyna by stating, "It’s common knowledge that Auschwitz was liberated by the Red Army, in which all nationalities heroically served," adding that Poland was making a "mockery" of history.

Making a mockery of history is exactly what NATO leaders are doing by pressuring leaders of countries from South Korea and Japan to Bulgaria and Austria not to send official representatives to Moscow. The action is very reminiscent of the U.S.-led and diplomatically-immature boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, a move deemed to have done more long-term harm to the Olympic movement than short-term damage to the USSR.

Notes:

• [1] « «"Operation Paperclip" : des V2 à la Lune », Réseau Voltaire, 24 août 2004.
• [2] “George Soros, speculator and philanthropist”, Voltaire Network, 15 January 2004.
• [3] « Le prêt-à-penser de la Fondation Heritage », Réseau Voltaire, 8 juin 2004.
• [4] “The American Enterprise Institute in the White House”, Voltaire Network, 21 June 2004.
• [5] “The Brookings Institution: a Think Tank of Good Feelings”, Voltaire Network, 30 June 2004.
• [6] “Kiev, not Moscow, should be the choice for marking V-E Day”, Steven Pifer, John Herbst & William Taylor, Los Angeles Times, March 16, 2015.
• [7] “Latvian President Rehabilitates Nazism”, by Thierry Meyssan, Voltaire Network, 16 March 2005.

AMPHIPOLIS - Skeleton remains found in grave belong to five persons

(HellasFrappe has said since Day 1 that the grave belongs to the family of Alexander the Great. In more recent articles, we also explained why we feel that Alexander is also buried here. We will continue to believe this until proven otherwise. The mosiac was the last bit of information that convinced us. To read those articles, simply go on the side panel and click on the Amphipolis image and it will take you to a special category where we have massed all of these articles.)

The skeleton remains found in the ancient Amphipolis tomb have been identified as belonging to five individuals, the Culture Ministry said on Monday.

After the conclusion of the examination and processing of the bones found in the tomb, which was conducted by the scientists of the Aristotle and Democritus Universities, at least five persons have been identified. Four of them have been buried: one woman over the age of 60, two middle aged men and a newborn. Scientists also identified bone fragments belonging to a fifth person – probably an adult – who was cremated before being buried.

According to the Culture ministry, the remains found in the tomb make up about 550 bones, fragmented or intact, a skull in a rather good condition and an almost intact lower jaw.

Moreover, some bones have been identified as belonging to animals, probably to horses, which will be examined by a specialist.

Source: Culture ministry, ANA-MPA

Amphipolis: A "Cosmopolitan Inhabitant" In a "Cosmopolitan Tomb”

Dr. Lina Mendoni, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Culture of Greece recently visited Montreal for the inauguration of an exhibition titled: “The Greeks: Agamemnon tο Alexander the Great.” The event opened at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum of Archaeology and apprently features more than 543 artifacts covering 5000 years of Greek history. While in Canada, Ms. Mendoni took some time to speak to Justine Frangouli-Argyris from the Huffington Post about the aforementioned exhibition and about current cultural developments in Greece. 

By Justine Frangouli-Argyris (HuffingtonPost) - Dr. Lina Mendoni, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Culture of Greece, is an individual who has presided over one of the country’s most crucial ministries for over a decade. Perhaps the most knowledgeable person with respect to culture in Greece, including the numerous archaeological excavations and many ongoing cultural activities, she is a “power woman,” closely monitoring the step-by-step progress of the exciting discovery at Amphipolis and overseeing her country’s initiatives for the return of the Parthenon Marbles.

While in Canada, Ms. Mendoni took some time to speak about the aforementioned exhibition and about current cultural developments in Greece.

HuffingtonPost - Why did the Culture Ministry opt to cover such an expansive stretch, that is over 5000 years of history, with the exhibition, “The Greeks: Agamemnon to Alexander the Great?”

Lina Mendoni - “The comparative advantage of Greek civilization is its long historical endurance and its timelessness. Each phase is not detached from another. Greek history is based on successive stages of the evolution of a culture with each passing day linked to the previous one. The Hellenic Peninsula, along with its seas, is a matrix that generates and evolves, as a sequence, through a continuous assimilation of elements with which the Greeks came into contact.”

HuffingtonPost - How did the ministry of culture react to the recent decision of the British Museum to lend the Parthenon sculptures to the Hermitage Museum of Russia?

Lina Mendoni - “The Greek Government, via its Prime Minister, Mr. Antonis Samaras, has formally expressed its position, voicing the discomfort of the Greek people with respect to the museum’s actions. By lending a portion of the marbles abroad, the complexity of the work has been ruptured for a second time with its unity and harmony disrupted in a most violent way.”

HuffingtonPost - In what way can the law firm of Amal Clooney and the publicity she has created influence the return of the marbles?

“Lina Mendoni - The Ministry of Culture has asked to hear the proposals of the law office of Ms. Clooney but, in the meantime, we are awaiting the results of UNESCO’s proposal to Britain to participate in a mediation process to resolve the dispute. Mediation has timelines which should be respected and, as such, we must await further developments.”

HuffingtonPost - The most recent spectacular archaeological discovery in Greece has been the tomb of Amphipolis. What is so important about this find?

Lina Mendoni - “The discovery at Kasta Hill in Amphipolis is a hugely important monument that is made up of varied characteristics from different cultural phases. It is the first time that a funerary monument, which dates from Macedonia around the end of the 4th century BC, comprises a magnificent lion that laid on top of the tomb, two superb sphinxes guarding its entrance, two splendid female figures that have been classified as caryatids, an exceptional mosaic depicting the abduction of Persephone by Pluto and Mercury and other frescoes that are slowly being revealed.

HuffingtonPost - Has the tomb been ransacked?

Lina Mendoni - “It is absolutely certain that the tomb has been robbed as we have witnessed that the occupant’s funeral gifts have all been removed.”

HuffingtonPost - Where can the skeleton that was found at Amphipolis lead archaeologists?

Lina Mendoni - “It has been neither embalmed nor burnt, so the scientists will be able to establish the individual’s gender and age. In a few weeks, we will have these important results, so we may then proceed, taking into account the historical data and the historical composition, to formulate a working hypothesis. If it is a woman’s skeleton, it will be easier to identify the buried person, if it is that of a male, there are many more names to consider.”

HuffingtonPost - What is the value of this project to the archaeological world?

Lina Mendoni - “It is a monument with universal characteristics, indicating that its creator, as well as the individual buried there, were both true cosmopolitans.”

HuffingtonPost - Greece’s culture is intertwined with its rich ancient history. Does contemporary Greece, in the midst of a severe economic crisis, produce modern culture?

Lina Mendoni - “Of course Greece produces contemporary culture. Even during these trying economic times, a new creative era is taking hold in a fanciful way. In dance, at the National School of Orchestral Art, in cinema or through the development of other modern initiatives. At a time when the crisis is affecting all sectors of the economy, the Ministry of Culture, with the use of available European Union resources, has secured funding for 643 projects, including the restorations of monuments and archaeological sites, the creation of new museums and many other contemporary projects.”

HuffingtonPost - Is Cultural tourism occurring in Greece in a systematic way?

Lina Mendoni - “The Ministry of Culture is charged with creating the conditions for cultural tourism while the Ministry of Tourism is responsible for providing its routes. To this effect, for example, the Ministry of Culture has restored 270 Byzantine monuments as well as various Ottoman shrines, attracting many tourists from Russia and Turkey, respectively.”

Amphipolis: Geophysical Scan Shows That Human Interventions Are “Minor”

Good news. human intervention has be rather limited according to the results of a geophysical scan of Kasta Hill where Amphipolis is located, the Ministry of Culture said on Monday.

In announcement, the Ministry explained that the team of scientists primarily used electrical tomography techniques – and to a lesser degree a ground penetrating radar (GPR) – in order to examine human intervention on the hill.

And as suspected, (and continually pointed out by HellasFrappe), the man-made embankment is only a minor portion of the hill.

The geophysical survey and mapping of Kasta Hill began on November  11th and was carried out whenever the weather conditions were favorable.

The Ministry also said that the scientific team expects that the scan will highlight areas of interest for future archaeological digs.

Peristeri: Alexander Began From Amphipolis, Why Wouldn't He Return?

The head of the excavation team at Amphipolis, Katerina Peristeri said stunned listeners in Serres recently when she hinted in a radio interview that Alexander the Great began his campaign to conquer the East from Amphipolis, why would he not return to the same area?

     "Alexander the Great began his campaign from Amphipolis ... why wouldn't he return there?" 

The famed archaeologist might not know the identity of the skeleton that was found at the burial site, (or maybe she does and is not permitted to say so) in Greece, but she has been throwing a few hints here and there in various speeches abroad (or at least this is what some blogs are claiming).

The staff and management of HellasFrappe bets that the whole family is buried there, but we are not scientists and we don't have any inside information to prove our theory. Our hearts are driven on instinct and our logic tells us that a burial site that large can only be the site of a great king.

Listen to the radio interview. The disputed statement is at 27:21 into the interview.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO INTERVIEW

AMPHIPOLIS - Geophysical survey reveals further structures at tomb

A geophysical survey was carried out at the Amphipolis tomb and the results are indicating that there are more man-made structures of archaeological importance that have yet to be discovered there. With a series of scanned photographs at hand, the archaeological team can now construct a rudimentary map of the archaeological remains hidden within the hill and this will allow them to prioritize and arrange future excavations there.

The geophysical survey only confirms the rumors that the hill is in fact a complex of various constructions. In fact there are many reporters who are claiming that the whole royal family is buried there (including Alexander the Great).

Meanwhile the ministry slammed "unsubstabtiated reports" on various Greek blogs claiming that the skeleton found in the massive tomb in Amphipolis belongs to the mother of Alexander the Great, Olympias, noting that the official results of the research will be revealed in January.

A blog called amfipolinews.blogspot.gr, reported several days ago that there's enough evidence to support the theory that the skeleton uncovered in one of the chambers belongs to a 54-year-old woman, Olympias. The report was republished in other blogs and media outlets.

In a press release, the culture ministry said it will reveal the sex, age and height of the perosn burried in the tomb next month.

     "The research for the material found in the fourth chamber of the burial monument on Kasta Hill was assigned to a multidisciplinary team comprised of specialist scientists by the Aristoteleion and Dimokrition Universities. The program aims at a modern approch the the archaeology of death. Starting from the person and its remains found in the tomb, we will explore the anthropoligical, social and historical context of the people of Amphipolis," the ministry said. 

The results of the overall two-year-program are expected to be announced in a period of 20 months.

Gov't Support for Zagorochoria To Make It On UNESCO World Heritage list

An announcement from the Greek culture ministry said on Thursday that the government intends to officially sponsor the traditional villages of Epirus' Zagori district in northwestern Greece as a Greek 'cultural landscape' to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The 'Zagorochoria - North Pindos National Park' area have been on the UNESCO Tentative List for the last two years, which is one of the conditions for inclusion in the list of World Heritage Sites.

     "It is with great joy that the culture and sports ministry announces its decision to finalise its proposal for the inclusion of Zagori in the UNESCO World Heritage Monuments List," said Culture and Sports Minister Costas Tassoulas at a conference held at the culture ministry on Thursday, attended by ministry general secretary Lina Mendoni and Zagori Mayor Vassilis Spyrou.

The traditional stone built villages of the remote and mountainous Zagori area are among the best preserved traditional settlements in Greece and situated in an area of exceptional natural beauty, including features such as the Vikos Gorge and Voidomatis River.

In order for an cultural landscape to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, it must have proven exceptional global value and its authenticity and integrity must be protected. There must be a comparative study comparing the site with others, both included and not included in the UNESCO list, a definitive boundary and protection zone, a written management plan and guarantees for its effective implementation. It also calls for a record of factors likely to affect the cultural good, either positively or negatively, and measures to protect the monument in emergency situations.

ANA-MPA

Justice System Rejects Romanos’ Application for Educational Leave - Anarchists Take To Streets

The Greek justice system deserves a pat on the back in the case of Nikos Romanos. On Tuesday it rejected his application for an educational leave, upholding the prosecutor’s proposal on the matter.
The 21 year-old, who is from a wealthy prominent family, has been on hunger strike since November 10th after he was refused a furlough to attend classes at a technical university he was accepted to. It should be reminded that Romanos is serving a sentence for a bank robbery.

In Parliament it was announced that Evangelos Venizelos is going to compose an amendment, in cooperation with the Ministries of Justice and Education, in order to offer unsuccessful applicants the option of "distance learning".

Demonstrations of solidarity to Romanos were organized for Tuesday night but they turned very ugly. The solidarity march in down town Athens, which attracted more than 6,000 protesters ended in clashes with the riot Police in the area of Exarchia.

His case also received support from the main opposition Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) youth party, the ultra-leftist Antarsya party and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).

Protesters overturned cars, and set the downtown area ablaze including a public bus.

Protesters also set barricades on several streets around the Athens Polytechnic University which is now occupied and riot police used teargas and flash bangs to disperse the crowd.

Initial reports claim that some 15 people were detained.

On Wednesday morning, a group of about 50 students occupied the central building where the administration of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is housed and announced that the occupation of the university building was in solidarity to the hunger strike of Nikos Romanos.

In the meantime, anarchists arranged a demonstration outside the university’s School of Philosophy at 11am, followed by a protest at the square in Kallithea at 5pm.

BREAKING - Culture Ministry Releases Photos of the Amphipolis skeleton (VIDEO + PICS)

For many months now, Greeks and friends of Greece from all over the world have been captivated by the discoveries at the ancient Amphipolis tomb. Everyone has been anxiously waiting for news on the who the "occupant" of the burial site is. It looks like we have to wait just a little longer.

credit newsit

credit newsit

On Saturday, lead archaeologist Katerina Peristeri released photos of the skeleton that was discovered at the Amphipolis tomb in northern Greece for the first.

During a press conference at the Greek Ministry of Culture, she said that scientists still do not know who the occupant of the tomb is.

     “We do not know yet who the occupant of the tomb (is),” she noted but she nonetheless presented the first photos of the skeleton found at the tomb.

Reviewing the dig’s progress from the beginning and up until now, she said that the excavations began in 2012 and were based on the local rumour that the “Queen’s tomb” was hidden beneath Kasta Hill.

As she began the presentation, she also revealed that the Kasta Tomb was destroyed by the Romans in the 3rd Century AD. According to her, the Romans destroyed the enclosure of the tomb in the 3rd century AD.

     “We even found traces of an ancient crane used to destroy the enclosure” Peristeri told reporters.

She also said that many of the missing pieces of the magnificent mosaic which depicts the Abduction of Persephone have been discovered and her team has already begun reconstructing the damaged middle part.

She then presented a photo of a marble beam from the architrave above the Caryatids, which -she noted- destroyed the head of one of the statues when it collapsed.

(This last statement certainly refutes all the theories by many archaeologists that are not involved in this dig about vandalism being committed at the tomb).

In her expert opinion, the Lion of Amphipolis was located on top of the Tomb (hill) because fragments of the ancient base of the statue were found in the surrounding area.

Immediately after this was stated renowned UK archaeologist Dorothy King retweeted the story and said that she was “glad they failed”.

Everyone in the room was also stunned to discover that her team unearthed a good amount of coins, which she said date to the 2nd century (or from the time of Alexander the Third). She said along with the coins, various pottery items were also unearthed, but these items have yet to be presented to the public. When reporters asked her for more details about the coins, quite strangely she replied that the coins were in a stage of being processed.

A little later architect Michael Lafatzis took the stand and stated that the British attempted to transfer at least 1,000 pieces of the Amphipolis tomb’s enclosure and the Lion of Amphipolis to London in 1916, much like they did with the Parthenon Marbles.

Lafatzis, who heads the schematic designs of the ancient tomb, told reporters that British troops were ready to transfer the pieces and the magnificent statue but had to put off from doing so because they were suddenly attacked by Austrian and Bulgarian troops.

He also revealed that locals in the area were hiding priceless artefacts from the tomb in their homes!  

    “Amphipolis residents have apparently been returning pieces of the tomb’s enclosure, which they secretly kept in their homes” Lafatzis stated.