Greece commemorated OXI Day on Tuesday, October 28, with the annual military parade in Thessaloniki, marking the nation’s entry into World War II and its historic defiance against fascist Italy in 1940.
The event was attended by President Constantine Tassoulas, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and senior government and military officials.
The parade featured all three branches of the armed forces, showcasing Greece’s latest military technology, including newly acquired drones, anti-drone systems, and mobile drone-construction units, some Greek-made and already deployed in EU operations in the Red Sea.
Thousands of spectators gathered along the city’s seafront, where the Air Force’s “Zeus” demonstration team concluded the event with a precision aerial display led by pilot Georgios Sotiriou, who exchanged words of appreciation with the president during the flyover.
In his address, President Tassoulas said the anniversary of Greece’s historic “No” to the Axis powers “is the greatest and ultimate lesson of the ’40s generation,” praising their courage and selflessness as enduring examples for modern Greeks.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis echoed the call for unity, saying, “We live in turbulent and difficult times, but the military parade we just observed today makes us feel secure that the Armed Forces are always here to defend this liberty for which our ancestors fought.”
He added that Greece’s military is undergoing “perhaps the greatest transformation in its history” to meet today’s challenges.
Similar parades and celebrations took place across the country, including in Athens, Patras, and Heraklion.
