Athens and Berlin argue about statues and Nazis
The wave of protests was triggered by the Munich political weekly 'Focus', which recently placed on its cover the inscription: 'Cheaters in the European family. Will Greece cheat us out of our money and what is happening with Spain, Portugal and Italy?'. The background was a collage with an image of the sculpture of Venus de Milo. The ancient Greek goddess acquired not only arms, but also fingers folded in a vulgar gesture. The text printed in the magazine abounded with offensive formulations towards Greece, which found itself in the whirlwind of financial troubles. In response, Athens mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis called on 'people of culture' worldwide to raise a voice of protest against the offensive magazine cover.
Greek lawmakers also turned against the Hamburg weekly 'Stern'. The magazine largely explained the crisis upheavals in Greece by the squandering of taxpayers' money by Greeks. Parliament speaker Filippos Petsalnikos from the ruling PASOK party subjected the publication to cautious criticism, calling it 'simplified' and 'not entirely accurate'. But the Greek opposition did not restrain itself in expressions. 'How can Germany have the audacity to sling mud at our finances when it has not paid compensation for Greek victims of World War II?' asked former minister Margaritis Tsimas from the largest opposition party 'New Democrats'. 'After all, there are still Greeks mourning their fallen brothers.'
Fuel was added to the fire by one of Greece's largest and most influential newspapers 'Eleftheros Typos', which published an article on the European economy under the headline 'Financial Nazism Threatens Europe'. The material was complemented by a collage that became a response to the offensive gesture of Venus in the Bavarian magazine - the goddess of victory Victoria on Berlin's Victory Column, erected in the 19th century, holds a Nazi swastika instead of a laurel wreath. Greek Vice President Theodoros Pangalos stated that Germany deserves criticism because the National Socialists ruined Greece's economy and destroyed thousands of Greeks. 'They took the gold from the Bank of Greece and Greek money and did not return it,' the politician said in an interview with British journalists.
Lawmakers from the Greek Left Party demanded reparations from Germany as a country bearing part of the responsibility for the catastrophic financial situation in today's Greece. 'With their statements, German politicians and financial institutions are playing a shameful game, making their profits at the expense of Greeks,' the left's statement claimed.
Berlin firmly and reservedly rejected these claims. German Chancellor Angela Merkel recalled the 1960 agreement with Greece on compensation, under which Germany paid 115 million marks (currently about 59 million euros). In addition, compensation was paid to Greek forced laborers and concentration camp inmates. Greece should not excessively heat up anti-German sentiment, Merkel warned, since EU financial aid to Greece could reach 25 billion euros and about 20% of that amount would come from Germany's share.
Nevertheless, in recent days a demonstration was held in Athens, participants of which called for a boycott of German goods. Organizers distributed leaflets stating that the falsification of the image of the Venus de Milo statue - a symbol of Greek history, beauty and civilization that arose at a time when Germans 'ate bananas from trees' - was 'unforgivable and unacceptable'. 'We demand that the German government condemn this extremely indecent publication,' demanded the president of the Greek Consumer Institute, Yorgos Lavkouritis, who emphasized that 'Greeks are not cheaters'.