Friday, November 1, 1968, Georgios Papandreou dies.
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old man Papandreou
due to the uncompromising battles he had declared (first and second),
because of his son, who had been expelled by the junta,
due to his arrest and detention by the junta,
and
because of the 1,000 days he managed to rule before the palace overthrew him,
had a very positive influence on the people, who had forgiven him (!) his past misdeeds
(Lebanon, Caserta, December events, etc.)
that way
He was given the nickname «Old Man of the Republic.».
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Consider how miserable the right-wing government was that forced all democratic people in Greece to,
people who had supported the EAM during the occupation, which Papandreou had fought against viciously and with hatred,
to return after 20 years and support him...
probably not,
They didn't just support him, they literally elevated him to the status of Roman emperor...
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Two days after his death, on Sunday, November 3, 1968, the old man's funeral takes place in Athens and the streets are filled with people...
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It is a spontaneous movement of more than 300,000 citizens that turned into an anti-government demonstration...
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the slogans, and then the beatings and arrests come pouring down.
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Margaret, Andreas' wife, had come from Stockholm without Andreas, only with her children, shortly before the Old Man passed away, to be with him in his final moments.
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The Old Man, in the Annunciation, when he saw his grandchildren, wept.
He gave them his best wishes.
They were crying.
Then he said to Margaret:
«Don't let the junta touch my body.».
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Margaret fulfilled his last wish with religious devotion.
her father-in-law.
When the government requested to bury the elderly man with military honors
«public expenditure»
Margaret rejected the offer...
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I am copying from the diary of Electra Pappa (pseudonym), who was imprisoned and tortured by the junta...
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Inside the church, Panagiotis Kanellopoulos bid farewell to the deceased.,
Papandreou's honorable opponent,
«I bow to you,» he said with a broken voice, "go ahead, Georgios Papandreou.".
I remember our common struggles for democracy.
Struggles that continue.».
[…]
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The procession passes through Filellinon Street:
The people's army marched along singing the anthem of freedom, interrupted by cries of «Long live democracy!»
and
«Down with the dictatorship,»,
«Papandreou, you are the legitimate prime minister.».
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That was when the hordes of the junta appeared in their gray-green uniforms.
Silently, they slipped into the crowd and every now and then they came out.
each holding a man or a girl.
The gray cages were at the back of the square from early on, waiting for their prey...
[…]
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The captives passed by us and, with a look full of light, gave courage to the crowd.
At that moment, the wreaths were passing in front of us.
I read in one:
«To the fighter for democracy. Mikis Theodorakis.».
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A boy near us raised his fist in the air and shouted:
«Down with tyranny.».
Two gray-green guys snatched him.
The boy turned toward the crowd, and before they could cover his mouth, a cry escaped from his chest.
«Hail, oh hail, freedom.».
[…]
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At the most sacred moment, when the coffin was covered with soil and flowers and people were crying with sobs,
The gray-green ones, with new reinforcements, stormed in, pushing and hitting the kneeling crowd.
The carnage continued for a long time.
The moans of the wounded mingled with the song of freedom...
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The day after the funeral, newspapers published a statement from the junta:
«Unfortunately, it will take a long time for the Greek people to be properly educated and disciplined so that the nation is not destroyed.»
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And to think that a month earlier, on September 29, 1968, the junta had held a referendum calling for the legalization of the junta constitution.,
essentially the junta itself
and
The YES vote reached 92.21%!!!
In other words, almost the entire Greek society is in favor of the junta.
