If Rigas Velestinlis were to be accidentally resurrected this morning and somehow find himself at the reception celebrating the Restoration of the Republic on July 24, he most likely wouldn’t even make it past the gate of Herodes Atticus. And fortunately for him—that is, for his own sake—because the men of the Presidential Guard and the other «hounds of authority» would have arrested him on charges of disturbing the peace, trespassing, and… inciting a riot.
But let’s suppose that the God of Greece—who, as is well known, is a right-winger, carries a prayer rope, and frequents VIP lounges—performed his miracle, and Rigas took into his hands the golden, embossed invitation.
So why, then, not Would they ever invite him? And why, if they did, would he run off before he even had a chance to touch the first canapé with salmon?;
Rigas, poor fellow, had in mind a universal, popular, and liberating democracy. In Article 1 of his Constitution, he wrote that the Hellenic Republic includes within its ranks Greeks, Turks, Albanians, Bulgarians, and Serbs, without any religion or ethnicity being considered superior.
Can you imagine this statement being broadcast on the contractors' TV channels during the 8 o'clock news?;
«Velestinlis is an extreme internationalist! Anti-Greek statements from the Thessalian Gülenist! What does the government spokesperson have to say?»
In today’s Greece—a country of «proud» isolation, patriotic exploitation, and VIP credentials—Rigas would be dangerously labeled a «rights activist» and an «anti-Greek.» At the Presidential Palace, where democracy is celebrated as an exclusive club for handing out direct contracts and mutual back-patting, a guy who talks about the brotherhood of the Balkan peoples would ruin the guests’ savoir-faire.
There, on Herod Atticus Street, democracy is measured by the fabric of one’s suit. Blue-argos, light blue silk ties, tailor-made for the «little bosses» and the economic elite who rule the feudal state.
Rigas would appear wearing his cloak, his tsarouchia, and—worst of all—with the «New Political Administration» by his side. He would not have had a «proud companion» with a haute couture dress, but rather the simple, hardworking people.
He wouldn’t fit in among the appointed judges who have forgotten what the separation of powers means, nor among the members of parliament who jump from party to party like vagabonds, thus distorting any notion of the will of the people.
The biggest problem, however, would be the artistic program.
When the President, the Prime Minister’s entourage, and the TV executives would raise their glasses with that classic air of self-satisfaction «Everything is going well in the country», Rigas wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut. Instead of politely whispering about growth and economic indicators, he would start singing:
«How long, lads, must we live in these cramped quarters...»
Horror! A financial shock for the contractors in attendance!
How could the elite tolerate a man who viewed freedom as an act rather than a reception? How could the establishment tolerate a revolutionary who couldn’t be bought off with an institutional position or a grant from OPECEPE?;
In today’s Greece, where the Speaker of the Parliament confuses Ottoman monuments with Byzantine history and imagines Pericles delivering the Funeral Oration at… Hagia Sophia, history is not a subject; it is a decorative element.
Rigas Feraios would never have been invited to the Presidential Palace, because Rigas did not celebrate a mere formality of democracy, but the freedom of substance. And if by mistake he were to reach the door, upon seeing the million-dollar limousines and the hypocritical smiles, he would spit on his chest, leave them the Thourios to read, and run off to the mountains.
Because true democracy does not need receptions to exist. It requires conscience, justice, and, above all, a reverence for history—something our current elite completely lacks.
