Greece marks Ochi Day without parades

This year’s Ochi Day anniversary marking 80 years since Greece rejected an ultimatum by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to allow passage of Italian troops into Greece will be held without military and student parades, while ceremonies and the laying of wreaths will be held with a limited number of people for reasons of public health and in strict compliance with health regulations. According to an Interior Ministry circular, the cancellation of the parades does not in any way devalue or reduce the tribute to the fighters and heroes of 1940 who led Greece’s resistance "against fascism and Nazism and the struggles of the peoples for democracy and human dignity." [Nikos Kokkalias]