Source – dimokratia.gr (link here for the original article in Greek)
But She Does Not Cancel the Event!
On the anniversary of Athens’ liberation from the Nazis, the event “Archaeology and Occupation” opens without a word about Greece’s suffering and plundering.
Under the weight of public outrage, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni has withdrawn the poster depicting the Nazi flag flying over the Parthenon. The poster had been created for the event titled “Archaeology and Occupation,” an exhibition scheduled to open on the very day marking the 82nd anniversary of Athens’ liberation from German occupation forces!
The controversial image prompted an immediate reaction from the National Council for the Reparation Claims of Greece Against Germany (ESDOGE). The poster was subsequently withdrawn, and the Ministry of Culture even triumphantly announced that its intervention had made this happen!
“The purpose of the exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum is not to conceal anything. It is precisely the opposite: to present this dark period […] Nevertheless, the National Council […] rightly condemned the particular poster,” admitted Culture Minister Lina Mendoni.
Attempting to justify the situation, Mendoni explained:
“The poster for the conference, organized by the German Archaeological Institute, the Italian Archaeological School, and the National Hellenic Research Foundation, is a historical document originating from the archives of the Deutsches Historisches Museum [German Historical Museum].
“[…] They were wrong to choose it, but it wasn’t created now. It exists as a historical document, and they used it precisely to convey the opposite message from the one we probably all understood.
“Precisely because the Council reacted—and I myself learned about the entire issue through its reaction—the Ministry of Culture intervened […], and the poster was changed […] because the organizers themselves recognized the legitimacy of the objections raised by both the Council and the Ministry of Culture.”
In other words, we are apparently supposed to congratulate Ms. Mendoni for ensuring that the provocative poster was removed. However, she offered no explanation for why she did not choose another date for the exhibition’s opening, rather than the exact day Athens commemorates the 82nd anniversary of its liberation from the Nazi nightmare.
On this very day, the National Archaeological Museum and the German Archaeological Institute at Athens (DAI), under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the Greek government, have provocatively chosen to inaugurate the exhibition “Divided Past: Greek-German Relations in Dark Times.”
This is an extremely provocative act that constitutes an insult to the memory of the victims of the Occupation. Furthermore, the choice of title diminishes the significance of the massacres of civilians, the famine, the mass atrocities, and the systematic plundering of our cultural heritage.
For its part, the National Council for the Reparation Claims of Greece Against Germany (ESDOGE) responded with a blistering statement:
“Now the Germans are coming back! And they are attempting to ‘celebrate,’ in their own way, the liberation of Athens from the German occupation forces—an act that constitutes a blatant provocation, given that the Federal Republic of Germany has still not accepted responsibility for Nazi crimes in Greece.
“The provocation becomes even greater because the poster for the conference they are organizing prominently features the most propagandistic German photograph of the Occupation!
“This notorious photograph depicts an enormous Wehrmacht war flag dominating the sacred rock of the Acropolis.”
Continuing its harsh criticism of the organizers and the Greek state, ESDOGE emphasized:
“In other words, the barbaric Nazi and Fascist Occupation—which decimated the Greek population and devastated our country, undermining the future of many generations—is now being reduced by the organizers to a mere Greek-German ‘division’!
“Words fail us!
“We call upon the Ministry of Culture of the Hellenic Republic to respect the history of this country and immediately withdraw its patronage and all support from these disgraceful events.
“We also call upon it to immediately demand the repatriation of all Greek archaeological and cultural treasures looted by Germany, Bulgaria, and Italy.
“The Hellenic Republic is called upon to implement, without further delay, the historic decision of the Hellenic Parliament of April 17, 2019, by proceeding with the vigorous and systematic pursuit of German reparations and outstanding obligations.”
October 12, 2026, www.helleniscope.com, n.stamatakis@aol.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
