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Far right buried with honours one of the last generals of the junta

31 January 2013 / 19:01:56  GRReporter
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The Far right, members of Golden Dawn and supporters of the military dictatorship buried general Nikos Dertilis, who was one of the organizers of the military coup in 1967. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting down the 20-year-old oppositionist Michalis Mavroyiannis during the student uprising at the Athens Polytechnic School on 18 November 1973.
 
Dertilis died at the age of 90. He did not feel guilty until his last breath and even wanted society to apologize for throwing him in jail. People familiar with the developments claim, that according to the testimony of Dertilis’ driver, after the general executed the 20-year-old student, he said that he still had accurate sight being 45 years old.

Metropolitan Amvrosios of Kalavrita delivered a speech at the funeral and defined the general of the dictatorship as a "brave Greek brother" and a "role model" as well as a national hero equal to Kolokotronis. The funeral was attended by some members of Golden Dawn. Among those behind the coffin could be seen neo-Nazi party spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris, deputies Ilias Panayotaros, Panagiotis Iliopoulos, vice president of LAOS George Georgiou and Konstantinos Plevris. Stylianos Pattakos, who is the last living representative of the military dictatorship in Greece, sent a farewell funeral wreath. Christos Pappas from Golden Dawn who is known to have had close contacts with the general also paid his last respects. Pappas’ father was an officer in the junta regime and a close collaborator of George Papadopoulos.

Although the funeral took place under the supervision of increased police presence, there were incidents. Supporters of the junta fired about 15 shots out of deference to Dertilis when the coffin was lowered. Attendees chanted "Homage, homage to Nikos Dertilis" and "Hellas, Greeks, Christians." A little later, the police caught a 22-year-old man, who was supposed to have fired the shots and found with him twenty-one used cartridges and a knife.

The democratic left and SYRIZA condemned the respects paid at the funeral of the military junta general. They said it had become a performance against democracy and SYRIZA accused the state in a quiet commitment to "this festival of hate" as the radical left defined it.

 

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