Freedom is defined by our ability to move, to gather, to do business, to transact, and to express ourselves. Freedom is sacred in Greece. After all, it is enshrined in the Constitution of the Hellenic Republic.
The modern Greek State was born out of our will to liberate ourselves from the colonialism of the tribes of Asia Minor, which had lasted far too long. This struggle — this quest for freedom — fought with the pure blood of Greeks united against foreign occupiers, shaped our collective identity.
We love our Freedom so much that we made it our motto. We offered only one alternative: Death. In reality, there is no other choice. Greeks are free in Greece.
I remember when I first became interested in the Greek Orthodox Religion, I asked my friends here in Kefalonia 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 sets a red line that must not be crossed. Our arrogance regarding Freedom is a form of safety; it sends a clear message to anyone who seeks to threaten it.
This beautiful arrogance of the Greek People led the hero of the Greek Revolution, Theodoros Kolokotronis, to say the famous words:
«Είσαι Έλληνας; Τι προσκυνάς; Σηκώσου απάνω! Εμείς και στους Θεούς, όρθιοι μιλούμε».
“Are you a Greek? Why do you bow? Stand up! Even to the gods, we speak 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 make us pay for the mistakes of their banks, by attempting to subjugate us a few years ago with the miserable Troika. Some believe they succeeded. But they are wrong. I tell you: Greece is one of the freest countries I have ever visited in my life. And we owe this to the Greeks. That is why I live here.
Everyone is therefore free in Greece. And so it must be.
In France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, hundreds of people have been arrested and convicted for “glorifying terrorism,” while their only “crime” was questioning the slaughter committed by the State of Israel in Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and against our Lebanese brothers.
No other military force has destroyed more Greek Orthodox Churches, killed more Greek Orthodox people in the past five years than the Israeli Army. And beyond the Greek Orthodox, no other military power has slaughtered so many women and children in recent years.
For this reason alone, even purely out of religious solidarity, the mere image of our Prime Minister offering his praises to the representatives of the Israeli state fills me with disgust.
Just as Alexis Tsipras betrayed the Greek People by not respecting their will in the referendum, so too does Kyriakos Mitsotakis betray them by mingling with and flattering the state that has slaughtered the most Greek Orthodox in recent years, that has destroyed the most of our churches, our icons, and our most ancient sacred sites. The oligarch Mitsotakis has, after all, shown his indifference many times; we only need to look at what happened after the Tempi Tragedy to understand that the People’s interest was never his priority.
This dishonorable war, supported unhesitatingly by New Democracy and its allies, has started to penetrate our country — even our island.
I became aware of an incident that occurred on Friday, June 6, 2025, at the most beautiful beach in the world: Myrtos.
Greek citizens, exercising their most sacred right to freedom of expression, in a public space, in THEIR COUNTRY, within the territory of the Hellenic Republic, were attacked by Israeli tourists for creating a temporary work of art calling for peace and an end to the slaughter in the Gaza Strip.
This is a dangerous precedent.
Have we returned to the days of colonialism by the peoples of Asia Minor? When foreigners dictated what we could and couldn’t say? Israeli tourists must understand that they have no right to tell us what to say or write.
Will we have to divide our island in two? One area for those who defend the systematic slaughter of Orthodox Christians, women, and children, and one for Free People? We know very well where the restriction of Freedom leads. The Greek People have already lived it.
I had never taken the Tel Aviv – Kefalonia flight, and it never bothered me… until now. Everyone is free to visit our ancient land, if they meet the legal criteria. However, no one has the right to destroy works of art — especially when they promote Peace.
Without Freedom, there is no Peace… That is precisely why the Israeli tourists attempted to limit the Greeks’ freedom of expression. Just like a drug addict is hooked on his dose, these tourists are addicted to the blood of women and children — many of them Christian — and their fear of going a day without their daily atrocities drove them to attack free Greeks.
For all these reasons, we will look into ways to limit the arrival of such violent individuals on our island. Measures must certainly be taken.
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