22ND JULY 1943

                                      

 

Yesterday was the tragic anniversary of the Greek revolt against the Nazis for Macedonia.  All Greeks are very proud of their country, but Macedonia has a special place in their hearts because of Alexander the Great in antiquity and mainly because of their northern neighbour’s territorial expanding visions.

 

So, a massive protest took part in Athens against the German plans to expand the Bulgarian occupation zone in Macedonia.

                                            Bulgarian Troops in Thessaloniki

 

                              National Bank of Greece  re-Named N,B,of Bulgaria

Early in July 1943, Adolf Hitler asked the Bulgarian government to extend its occupation zone to encompass additional territory in Greece.  Bulgaria had already illegally annexed parts of Macedonia and Thrace on the 14^th of May 1941.  All Greek mayors, schoolteachers, judges, lawyers, priests and gendarmes were disposed and the use of the Greek language was banned.  Also, forced labour and economic restrictions forced many Greeks to migrate.

Obviously, the Greeks were furious so large general strikes were organized in Athens and in other cities and towns across Greece.  The protestors were fired upon by the nazis and fascists, leaving, unfortunately, 22 dead and several hundred wounded.  

Two of the persons who were tragically murdered were Panayiota Stathopoulou and Koula Lilly, sorry I could not find any more photos.  

Our sincere admiration for our brave compatriots who, in 1943, while resisting against the enemy, lost their lives and numerous others were seriously wounded.

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO BE INOCULATED AGAINST THE CORONAVIRUS TO KEEP YOUR BELOVED FAMILIES AND YOURSELVES HEALTHY