The Premier of New South Wales, Dominic Perrottet MP, has issued a message to the Greek Australian community today to mark the 81st anniversary of OXI Day.
In his message, Mr Perrottet offers his “sincere well wishes to people commemorating Oxi Day” and encourages people to reflect on the “bravery and generosity” of the Greeks during WWII.
The funeral of the center-left Movement for Change (KINAL) president, Fofi Gennimata, took place with full state honours in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens on Wednesday afternoon.
Gennimata lay in state at a chapel at the Athens Cathedral (Mitropoli) since 10 am, then moved to the cathedral where a funeral service was attended by her family, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, among many others.
Ms Sakellaropoulou gave a eulogy at the funeral, saying: “By bidding Fofi Gennimata farewell today, we are not just bidding farewell to a female politician known for her sense of democracy, honesty, and efficiency. We do not merely bid farewell [to someone] who faced a difficult diagnosis with vigour and honesty. We say farewell to a model of hope and discretion.”
Later, thousands lined the street outside and called out ‘Athanati’ (Immortal) as Gennimata’s coffin made its way from the Athens Cathedral to the First Cemetery of Athens.
Her coffin stopped before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Syntagma Square for a few minutes before moving on to her final resting place. She was buried in the family tomb alongside her father, Georgios Gennimatas, who was one of the founders of the PASOK party.
The mother-of-three passed away on Monday at the age of 57 after a long battle with cancer.
Mitsotakis announced after Gennimata’s funeral that a special breast cancer screening program in Greece will bear her name in tribute to the late Movement for Change leader.
The Leader of the Australian Labor Party, Anthony Albanese, the Member for Calwell, Maria Vamvakinou MP, and the Member for Adelaide, Steve Georganas MP, have issued a letter today to Greek Australians to mark the anniversary of OXI Day.
Anthony Albanese MP, Leader of the Australian Labor Party
Maria Vamvakinou MP, Member for Calwell
Steve Georganas MP, Member for Adelaide
On behalf of the Australian Labor Party, we join the Greek Australian community in honouring Oxi Day.
What a profoundly important anniversary it is. Eighty-one years ago, on 28 October 1940, the Greek people faced the fascist threat looming over their nation and answered it with a resounding “Oxi” (No).
Australian and New Zealand soldiers went on to join the spirit of that “No”, fighting alongside brave Greek soldiers in the face of tyranny. Labor pays tribute to those who fought and those who endured.
That mighty “No” found its counterpart in the powerful “Yes” of the Greek people as they ensured that their nation rose again after the devastation of war.
Labor acknowledges the long friendship between Australia and Greece forged during the Second World War – and strengthened through the decades of Greek migration to Australia.
Many Greek Australians feel enormous admiration and solidarity for those who lived through this period of Greek history. Their ongoing contribution to Australia is shaped in no small part by the values that we honour on this most significant of days.
Footscray icon Nick Tsiligiris died aged 86 last Thursday.
Tsiligiris was the longtime owner of Olympic Doughnuts on the corner of Leeds street near Footscray train station.
“The world is certainly sadder and poorer without him in it,” Tsiligiris’ daughter Gina Hasapis writes on Facebook.
“His legacy and memories of his smile, cheekiness and doughnuts will live on in all of us.”
Olympic Doughnuts closed temporarily in 2016 after 81-year-old Nick fell ill. A year later, Maribyrnong Council announced the shop will shut its doors after 40 years.
Tsiligiris’ life and passion for hot jam donuts is documented in the award-winning 2016 documentary Olympic Nick.
Tsiligiris’ funeral will take place Friday.
Opinion piece by Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.
Australians want action on climate change. And so do I.
But they also don’t want their electricity bills to skyrocket, the lights to go off, for their jobs to be put at risk or for the way of life in rural and regional communities to be sacrificed.
Australians want a 2050 plan on net zero emissions that does the right thing on climate change and secures their future in a changing world. They also want a plan that is fair and practical.
People in rural and regional areas know the impacts of climate change far better than those of us living in the cities. But the burden of taking action on climate change should not fall unfairly on rural and regional Australians, especially those dependent on traditional industries such as mining and agriculture.
Only the Liberals and the Nationals working together can be trusted to get this balance right.
We understand the threats faced but also the opportunities that can be realised.
There have been few issues more challenging for the Liberals and Nationals during the past twenty years than addressing climate change and its impact on rural and regional communities.
Our decision to now agree to a plan to achieve the target of net zero emissions by 2050 has not been taken lightly.
We didn’t just agree to this without carefully thinking through all the consequences and impacts, especially in rural and regional areas.
We have not and would never make a blank cheque commitment or impose new taxes, as Labor has, to achieve net zero. That would leave Australians footing the bill.
Decisions overseas are bringing about major changes in the global economy that will impact on Australia’s future prospects, both positively and negatively.
As Prime Minister I am determined to shield our nation from the negative impact of these changes while positioning us to take advantage of the many opportunities presented, especially for rural and regional Australia.
At Glasgow I will confirm that Australia will continue to play our part. We will be making a commitment to achieve net zero by 2050, and have a clear plan for achieving it. I always said I would not commit to net zero by 2050 unless we had a plan to achieve it. We now have that plan.
We will do this through technology, not taxes. By respecting people’s choices and not enforcing mandates on what people can do and buy. By keeping our industries and regions running and household power bills down by ensuring energy is affordable and reliable. By being transparent about what we are achieving, and expecting the same of other countries.
And we will invest in rural and regional Australia to ensure they succeed and are protected under our plan.
I will remind the world that emissions in Australia have actually fallen by more than 20 per cent on 2005 levels. That is more than New Zealand, Canada, Japan and the United States. We have beaten our 2020 emissions reduction target and are well on our way to meet and beat our 2030 target.
We won’t be lectured by others who do not understand Australia. The Australian Way is all about how you do it, and not if you do it. It’s about getting it done.
We will also not be breaking the pledge we made at the last election by changing our 2030 emission reductions targets. I said we would meet and beat this target and we will. So at Glasgow I will update what we now believe we will achieve, demonstrating that performance is worth more than empty ambition. That’s the Australian way.
The path to net zero is also not a straight line. In fact, as Bill Gates argues, forcing outcomes by 2030 with unrealistic targets can divert resources from technologies with longer lead times that will be essential to achieving 2050 objectives. So we will keep making sensible commitments and doing our best to exceed them.
Key to this approach is investment in new energy technologies, like hydrogen and low cost Solar, to ensure our manufacturing, resources, agricultural and transport sectors can secure their future, especially in rural and regional areas.
These technologies are set out in our Technology Investment Roadmap.
We want our heavy industries, like mining, to stay open, remain competitive and adapt, so they remain viable for as long as global demand allows. Our plan is not about shutting anything down.
We will not support any mandate – domestic or international – to force closure of our resources or agricultural industries.
We have taken the time to deal with the hard issues that need to be confronted to get it right. We have listened carefully and understand both the concerns and the strong aspirations that Australians have when it comes to dealing with climate change.
At the end of the day it all comes down to whether you have a credible plan to get the job done. It’s no longer about the ‘if’, but the ‘how’, and Australians can always trust the Coalition to have the right economic plan to enable Australia to deal with the challenge of climate change.
Scott Morrison
Prime Minister
The Premier of South Australia, Steven Marshall, and Assistant Minister to the Premier, Jing Lee, have issued a letter to the state’s Greek and Cypriot communities to mark OXI Day.
In the letter, Mr Marshall and Ms Lee acknowledge the brave acts conducted by Greeks during WWII, and also thank the Greek and Cypriot communities for their continued “cultural and economic contributions” to the state.
“We write to convey to you and South Australia’s Greek and Cypriot communities our best wishes on the occasion of OXI Day on 28 October.
This day is celebrated in remembrance of the moment in 1940, during the Greco-italian War, when the Greek Prime Minister, loannis Metaxas said “OXI“ (No) and refused to let the Italian troops enter Greece’s border. It is considered each year as a day that represents courage, solidarity and heroism for millions of Greeks all around the world.
OXI day commemorates a day of great pride for Greek and Cypriot communities. It not only recalls the bravery of the people who fought in the past but focuses on the future and a strong belief in enduring freedom and prosperity.
South Australia is home to a rich, diverse and vibrant multicultural community. We deeply value our longstanding relations with our Greek and Cypriot communities, and the enormous cultural and economic contributions you continue to make to our great State.
We wish you and your friends, family and loved ones a safe and happy OXI Day 2021!”
Greek Australians are pushing to see the Parthenon Marbles repatriated from the British Museum to Athens.
Elly Symons is the vice-president of the Australian Parthenon Committee and a founder of the Acropolis Research Group.
The Australian-born archaeologist has spent the last eight years campaigning for the return of the marbles. It’s why she studied archaeology and moved to Athens.
“It’s just a very ugly episode in human history that we can wantonly [sic] destroy something so perfect and so unique, a unique part of humanity,” she says.
George Vardas, vice-president of Australians for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures, hopes to see the marbles returned to their rightful home in his lifetime.
“I’m now 66. [Within] 20, 30 years, I’d like to think so,” he says.
“If not, my grandson has just turned three. I’m priming him to take over from his granddad who lost his marbles.”
Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson has his sights set on the United Nations’ International Court of Justice.
He says it may be the only way to ever see the marbles repatriated.
“I’m afraid it has to be a legal strategy,” he says.
“The only way that the marbles will ever come back is to have the judgment of the International Court of Justice.”
Robertson contests that the marbles were stolen and says any claims that paperwork legitimised Lord Elgin’s acquirement of the marbles in the early 19th century are false.
“All Elgin could produce to justify his claim of ownership was a letter that had been written by an official at the port to the Ottoman government to the governor of Athens,” he says.
“It didn’t give him any rights other than to enter [the temple] and [sketch] and to pick up stones on the ground.”
The legality of the British Museum’s claim on the marbles is based on this paperwork but the original document has never been found.
“The Sultan never signed anything,” says Robertson.
“This has been claimed but it’s simply a lie.”
Source: ABC News
Read more: It’s time to sue: David Hill, Chairman of ‘Australians for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures’
Three girls and a woman died after a dinghy transporting migrants from the coast of Turkey sank near Chios on Tuesday, Greek authorities said.
Three rescue helicopters, two coast guard vessels, and at least six nearby private boats took part in rescuing another 22 on the boat – 14 men, seven women, and a child – and at least one person who went missing.
“A large number of passengers was on the vessel. That fact, in combination with adverse weather conditions, led to the detachment of the boat floor,” the Greek coast guard said, noting that none of the passengers wore life jackets.
In a tweet, Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said the dead children ranged in age from 3 to 14. He initially reported that all of the passengers who died were minors.
The minister accused the Turkish government of failing to observe its 2016 agreement with the European Union to try to keep asylum-seekers from setting out for EU territory from Turkey.
“The Turkish authorities must do more to prevent exploitation by criminal gangs at source. These journeys should never be allowed to happen,” Mitarachi wrote.
Turkey, which hosts about 4 million refugees, counters that the EU has been slow to deliver on promises of financial support.
Greece was the main entry point for refugees and migrants entering the European Union during a 2015-16 period of mass migration. The number of arrivals has dropped sharply over the past two years in part due to tougher policing measures.
Greece is seeking EU support for tougher policing at the eastern and southern borders of the 27-nation bloc, including funds to extend border walls.
Source: AP
Greece and Saudi Arabia have agreed to set up a bilateral cooperation council.
It comes as part of talks between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mistotakis and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday.
They met ahead of Mitsotakis’ address at the country’s Future Investment Initiative (FII) – a high-profile showcase summit for investors.
Mitsotakis used his address to call on Turkey to stop “aggressive posturing” and agree to maritime negotiations.
“I think we’ve set up our alliances, we’ve drawn our lines very, very clearly,” Mitsotakis said.
“And I do hope that at some point, Turkey will constructively engage with us to resolve the one main outstanding issue we have which is the delineation of maritime shores.”
“We’re always open for dialogue, but we will not be intimidated and we will not accept our sovereign rights to be compromised.”
“I think at the end of the day, Turkey will also realise that this aggressive posturing in the eastern Mediterranean is not going to lead anywhere.”
Tensions between Greece and Turkey have flared recently over energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean.
The two neighbours are at loggerheads over territorial rights in the Aegean Sea, maritime and aviation boundaries, and minority rights.
Source: AMNA
Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, has released an official statement today to mark the OXI Day anniversary.
In the statement, Mr Morrison speaks of the “magnificent Greek expression” of philotimo and how in 1941 this philotimo was “joined by the determination of Australian, New Zealand and British forces to stand with them on the side of right.”
“On this day, the story of Greek pride, independence and courage echoes throughout the world. It is a story that should — must — be repeated and never be forgotten.
For us, and future generations, it tells of the rich rewards — of freedom and democracy — that flow from risking all for what is right.
On 28 October 1940, Greece stood in resolute defiance of the aggression of fascist Italy. As a nation, Greek strength lay not in numbers, but in conviction. The power of Greek opposition, rising from an ancient wellspring of honour, paved the eventual Allied path to victory.
Today, we reflect on the magnificent Greek expression, philotimo — love of honour. A word of profound and complex meaning, it embraces the virtues of decency, dignity, respect and honesty that shape a life lived well.
In it we find the inspiration for General Ioannis Metaxas’ answer ‘όχι!’ (no) to Benito Mussolini’s ultimatum in the dark early days of the Second World War.
And through philotimo, too, we are assured of the enduring strength of the friendship between Australia and Greece.
In 1941, Greek philotimo was joined by the determination of Australian, New Zealand and British forces to stand with them on the side of right.
Then, and today, Greece and Australia share a commitment to democracy, human dignity and the rule of law. This is the motivating power to withstand the forces of destruction and division. To live, in the spirit of philotimo, for something larger than oneself.
In memory of the tragedy of war, and in honour of the courage of personal sacrifice and the ideals of a common humanity, we reflect with gratitude on the hope ignited in Greece 81 years ago. Lest we forget.”