The large annual student parade on the national holiday of October 28 (“OXI Day”) was concluded on Saturday in the centre of Athens.
The public holiday commemorates Greece’s rejection (“OXI”) of an Italian ultimatum on October 28, 1940 that led to Greece’s invasion at the start of the Second World War.
Traffic has been restored downtown Athens.
A total of 235 schools in Athens participated, of which 134 primary schools, 50 high schools and 51 lyceums, of general and special education.
Most cities in Greece also held student parades, while Thessaloniki held a large military parade in the presence of the Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
In his statement, the Minister of Education, Religion and Sports Kyriakos Pierrakakis said, among other things: “Today we honor the memory of those who responded correctly to the dilemmas of history, who fought the unequal battle and won it, who went through pain, hunger, occupation, who rebuilt Greece. We honor their memory today together with our students, together with our children. We will be by their side in their own battles.”
