ATHENS – The National Council for the Claim of Germany’s Debts to Greece (ESDOGE) has marked 85 years since the invasion of unfortified Athens by Nazi Germany, describing April 27, 1941 as a “black anniversary” that signalled the beginning of the country’s darkest modern chapter.
In a statement, the organisation recalled how Wehrmacht troops entered the Greek capital to find it largely deserted, highlighting what it described as an early act of collective resistance by Athenians at the onset of the occupation.
The invasion ushered in what historians have called the “long night of the Occupation,” lasting 1,625 days and marked by widespread suffering, famine and repression under Nazi Germany.
Resistance and acts of defiance
ESDOGE pointed to a series of symbolic and historic acts of resistance that followed the occupation, including the refusal of Archbishop Chrysanthus of Athens to legitimise the collaborationist government of Georgios Tsolakoglou.
It also highlighted the sacrifice of student Mathios Potagas, the uprising during the Battle of Crete, and the iconic removal of the Nazi flag from the Acropolis by resistance heroes Manolis Glezos and Lakis Santas.
“These acts kept alive the spirit of resistance and contributed to Greece’s role in the broader anti-fascist struggle,” the statement said.
Occupation atrocities and lasting scars
The council stressed that the occupation brought devastating consequences for Greece, including famine, mass executions, the destruction of infrastructure and the near-total annihilation of the country’s Jewish communities.
It accused Nazi Germany of committing widespread war crimes and crimes against humanity, including forced labour, torture and systematic plunder of national wealth and cultural heritage.
According to ESDOGE, the scale of suffering endured by the Greek population during the occupation amounted to a tragedy “bordering on genocide.”
Renewed call for German reparations
Eighty-five years on, the organisation reiterated its position that the Federal Republic of Germany has yet to fully acknowledge or assume responsibility for these crimes.
It argued that Greece’s claims for wartime reparations and compensation remain legally valid and enforceable, accusing Berlin of attempting to sidestep its obligations.
The council also criticised recent commemorative initiatives involving German officials, claiming they risk distorting historical memory and undermining Greece’s longstanding demands.
Political appeal in Greece
ESDOGE called on the Greek government to implement the unanimous parliamentary decision of April 17, 2019, which supports the active pursuit of German reparations.
It urged political parties to prioritise the issue and take concrete steps toward what it described as a “just resolution” of a matter that continues to unite the Greek people.
The statement concluded by honouring leading figures of the reparations movement, Stefanos Linaios and Christos Tsintzilonis, pledging to continue the struggle for “Memory and Justice, Peace and Democracy.”
Source: ERT News / ESDOGE statement
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Athens, Battle of Crete, ESDOGE, German reparations, Greek news, greek news today, Greek occupation, Greek resistance, Kaisariani, Lakis Santas, Manolis Glezos, Nazi Germany, world war II