Freedom or Death. The most beautiful ideal.

Freedom is defined by our ability to move, gather, operate, trade, and express ourselves. Freedom is sacred in Greece. After all, it is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Hellenic Republic.

The modern Greek state was born from our will to liberate ourselves from the colonialism of the tribes of Asia Minor, which had lasted too long. This struggle, this quest for freedom, fought with the pure blood of Greeks united against foreign conquerors, shaped our collective identity.

We love our Freedom so much that we made it our motto. We gave only one alternative: Death. In reality, there is no other choice. Greeks are free in Greece.

I remember, when I started to take an interest in the Greek Orthodox Religion, I asked my friends here in Cephalonia what the message of the Orthodox faith was. The answer was unanimous: it is a religion of Freedom.

Freedom defines us. It is so important to us that we even gave it as a name.

We are proud of it, almost to the point of arrogance. But it is a healthy arrogance, because it is a red line that should not be crossed. Our arrogance towards Freedom is security; it sends a clear message to anyone who wishes to threaten it.

This beautiful arrogance of the Greek People prompted the hero of the Greek Revolution, Theodoros Kolokotronis, to utter the famous phrase:
«Are you Greek? What are you bowing to? Stand up! We even speak to the Gods standing.»

We are as Free as the Gods. We have no reason to kneel before them.

The Germans, the French, the Dutch tried to make us pay for this arrogance, to pay for the mistakes of their banks, by trying to subjugate us a few years ago with the vile Troika. Some believe they succeeded. But they are wrong. I tell you: Greece is one of the freest countries I have visited in my life. And we owe this to the Greeks. That