"Greece, Greece, I love you. Greece, you are one. Cyprus is Greek and Macedonia is."
The above well-known slogan among students of military schools and beyond was "paraphrased" in an offensive manner by cadet non-commissioned officers of the Naval Academy (NAO) at yesterday's parade for the national anniversary of March 25th in Athens, who are now facing disciplinary measures.
Although participants in the parade are not allowed to chant slogans, the cadets not only committed an offense, but also "dressed" it with abusive content, as from the video posted on social media (ed. the sound has been removed at the point in question), the students from the SMYN department allegedly shouted: "Cyprus is Greek" and continued with the slogan "f@ck Turkey", which they repeated, passing in front of the crowd, during the parade.
As this particular school falls under the Naval Training Directorate of the General Staff of the Navy, sources from the Navy General Staff reacted immediately, with information indicating that the cadet non-commissioned officers will now face disciplinary sanctions head-on, since all the provisions of the procedure will be followed. Even more so, when these officers can progress very high in the hierarchy, reaching the rank of Commander.
Turkey's first reaction came with leaks from the neighboring country's Foreign Ministry, sources of which told Anadolu Agency that they had requested clarification from the Greek authorities.
The same sources described the slogans as "insolent" and "unacceptable", claiming that they "undermine Greek-Turkish relations".
Turkey seeks clarification after Greek non-commissioned officers chant at March 25th parade
Haber Turk's article after the leak of the reaction from the Turkish Foreign Ministry
Reaction from SYRIZA on the slogans
Following this, strong political reactions were provoked by the opposition, with SYRIZA, in its announcement regarding the incident with the slogans at the March 25th parade, stating: "As captured in a video circulating on the internet from the military parade in Athens for March 25th, students of the Naval Officers' School (NMSO) shouted insulting slogans about Turkey as well as ahistorical slogans of the junta about Cyprus.
The unacceptable incident should be investigated and answers provided.
Nationalist crowns and lack of discipline alone do not guarantee power. The narrative of the 2030 agenda is weakened by the continuous withdrawals from the National Defense and the serious administrative irregularities that should have seriously concerned the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense, as national defense is not protected by large expenditures alone.
"With a government that is in retreat and cannot even control the basics, nothing surprises us anymore."
The New Left's announcement
The New Left issued a statement regarding slogans heard during the March 25th parade.
The announcement in detail: "The far-right slogans heard at the Athens parade by a Navy detachment set the country back many years. We have paid dearly for the empty-headed nationalism of all kinds of patriots. In 2025 we must be wiser.
We await the official position of the political and military leadership and the taking of the necessary measures against the officers who gave the relevant orders in violation of the official positions of our country."
Reactions were also recorded from political executives of SYRIZA PS and the New Left respectively, including Costas Zachariades and Gabriel Sakellaridis.
"The nationalist delirium on the streets of Athens by students of the Naval Academy must be investigated and punished severely. We do not forget the betrayal of Cyprus by the junta, we do not forget how the bigotries and crowns led to national defeats and disasters," described Mr. Zachariadis, as he added that "the far right in both Greece and Cyprus, whenever it took matters into its own hands, led things to defeat, national retreat and disaster. What should we remember first? We forget nothing!".
"In addition to the stadiums, we now also have parades to express our tastes. Shame on the slogans shouted by the Navy unit, which are deeply ahistorical. "Cyprus is Greek," said Sampson and the coup plotters in Greece and Cyprus in 1974, with results that we are paying for to this day," said the Secretary of the New Left, concluding that "shame on the stadium slogans during the parade. Not a single step back in the face of the thick, ahistorical nationalism that is served up in the parades as national magic. The Ministry of National Defense should immediately expose those responsible for this shame and explain to them what their role is in a democracy."
Source: protothema
