Scandal at ceremony commemorating SS victims
A scandal occurred during a ceremony commemorating the victims of an SS massacre in the Greek village of Distomo: as the German ambassador was about to lay a wreath at the memorial, former parliamentary speaker Zoi Konstantopoulou confronted him and demanded that Germany pay war reparations. Manolis Glezos, a 94-year-old resistance fighter, took the ambassador by the hand and helped him to lay down the wreath, saying that the children of the perpetrators were not responsible for their parents' crimes. Greece's press is divided over the incident.
Greek society increasingly uncivilised
The incident shows that Greece has become a land without rules, Aristides Ηatzis, a professor of legal philosophy, laments on the web portal Protagon:
“Imagine if a man with Manolis Glezos's history and prestige hadn't been present. Glezos kept up appearances and I can't think of anyone else who would have been able to do that. But precisely that is the problem, because this time we were simply lucky. … In a country without rules (because there are no rules in places where they aren't implemented) the law of brutality prevails. Then you have a pre-modern society and not a modern state government by the rule of law. … If there are no rules you have a despotic society, a society of violence, bullying and indifference. An uncivilised society.”
Germany should finally pay up
Blogger Pitsirikos, on the other hand, defends the left-wing politician Konstantopoulou's demands:
“Glezos's argument is a joke. Germany is a state, not a child. This is a matter between states. Before we criticise Konstantopoulou for her behaviour at the event in Distomo it should be pointed out that Germany still hasn't paid war reparations to Greece. … In 73 years not a single Greek government has [emphatically] demanded war reparations from Germany. But instead of this being the topic of the debate - in a country that is now once again occupied by Germans - people are talking about Konstantopoulou. Next year she should welcome the ambassador with a box of chocolates, then she'll win a place in the hearts of her critics.”