Manolis Glezos

Manolis Glezos was a Greek left-wing politician, journalist, author, and folk hero, best known for his participation in the World War II resistance. In Greece, he is best remembered for taking down the Flag of Nazi Germany from the Acropolis during the Axis occupation of Greece, along with Lakis Santas, on May 30, 1941. This act of defiance was the first of its kind in Europe and inspired many others to join the resistance movement against the Nazis. Glezos was arrested and tortured several times by the occupation forces and the collaborationist government, and was sentenced to death thrice, but managed to survive. After the liberation of Greece, he continued his political activism as a member of various left-wing parties, such as the Communist Party of Greece, the United Democratic Left, PASOK, Synaspismos, and Syriza. He was also persecuted and imprisoned by the post-war Greek governments and the military junta of 1967-1974, for his opposition to the monarchy, the NATO, and the US intervention in Greece. He was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1963 and the European Citizen's Prize in 2015. He was elected as a member of the Greek Parliament several times, and as a member of the European Parliament twice, in 1984 and 2014. He was the oldest and the most voted-for candidate in Greece in the 2014 European elections, representing Syriza. He resigned from his seat in 2015 and joined the Popular Unity party, which opposed the bailout agreement signed by Syriza. He remained politically active until his death, writing articles, giving speeches, and participating in protests. He was also an award-winning journalist, and worked as head-editor and editor for the left-wing newspapers Rizospastis and I Avgi. He published six books, mainly about the history of the Greek resistance and the post-war political developments. He died of heart failure at the age of 97 in Athens, on March 30, 2020. He was given a state funeral and honored by the Greek government and people as a symbol of the nation's freedom and dignity.