Anti-Nazi Greek resistance fighter Manolis Glezos dies aged 97

One of Greece most emblematic political figures, and the man who brought down the swastika from the Acropolis, Mr Manolis Gllezos, has died at the age of 97.

Manolis Glezos (left) spent time in prison during the Nazi occupation during the Second World War and during the Greek military dictatorship. Source: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP

He passed away, duo to heart failure,  yesterday in Athens.

He is most remember for the action he undertook in May 1941, to take down from the Acropolis the German flag (swastika), along with his comrade, Apostolos Siantas.

Manolis Glezos was a prominent figure of the left movement, having served an MP in the Greek and European Parliaments. He was born on 09 September 2022.

He is to receive a state funeral, however only a few people will attend due to the coronavirus restrictions.

In the audio provided here, we listen the interview that Manolis Glezos gave to the Greek Program of SBS Radio in March 2016.

Ex-prime minister, Alexis Tsipras said, Glezos was a symbol of a fighter”.

“The left, all of us today, feel like orphans but also so lucky to have walked with him”, said Mr Tsipras, with whose party, SYRIZA, Mr Glezos was a parliamentarian, but disagreed with the party’s course when it was elected to government.

Nikos Dendias, foreign minister in Greece’s current right wing government, hailed Glezos “as a major figure of the national resistance against Nazi occupation”.

“His stance inspired us all, irrespective of ideologies and parties,” said Mr Dendias.