Turkey seeks clarification after Greek NCOs chant at March 25th parade - Greek Left parties support Turkish claims

Although participants in the parade are not allowed to chant slogans, the cadets not only committed an offense, but also “dressed” it with abusive content, as from the video posted on social media (ed. the sound has been removed at the point in question), the students from the SMYN department allegedly shouted: “Cyprus is Greek” and continued with the slogan “f@ck Turkey”, which they repeated, passing in front of the crowd, during the parade.

As this particular school falls under the Naval Training Directorate of the Hellenic Navy, sources from the Navy General Staff reacted immediately, with information that the cadets should now be directly confronted with disciplinary action, since all the provisions of the procedure will be followed. Even more so, when these officers can progress very high in the hierarchy, reaching the rank of Captain.

Turkey's first reaction came with leaks from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the neighboring country, whose sources told the Anadolu Agency that they had requested clarification from the Greek authorities.

The same sources described the slogans as "impudent" and "unacceptable", claiming that they "undermine Greek-Turkish relations".

SYRIZA's reaction to the chants - More Catholic than the Pope

Following this, strong political reactions were provoked by the opposition, with SYRIZA, in its statement on the incident with the chants at the March 25th parade, stating: "As captured in a video circulating on the internet from the military parade in Athens on March 25th, students of the Permanent Naval Officers' School (SMYN) shouted insulting slogans against Turkey as well as ahistorical slogans of the junta about Cyprus.

The unacceptable incident must be investigated and answers must be given.

Nationalist sabre rattling and lack of discipline alone do not guarantee power. The narrative of the 2030 agenda is weakened by the continuous withdrawals from the National Defense Council and the serious administrative irregularities that should have seriously concerned the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense, as national defense is not protected only by large expenditures.

With a government that is in retreat and cannot control even the most basic things, nothing surprises us anymore.

The announcement of the New Left

The New Left also issued an announcement regarding slogans heard during the March 25 parade.

The announcement in detail: "The far-right slogans heard at the Athens parade by a Navy detachment set the country back many years. We have paid dearly for the empty-headed nationalism of all kinds of patriots. In 2025 we must be wiser.

We await the official position of the political and military leadership and the taking of the prescribed measures against the rank-and-file who gave the relevant orders in violation of the official positions of our country."

Reactions were also recorded from political executives of SYRIZA PS and New Left respectively, among whom were Costas Zachariadis and Gabriel Sakellaridis.

“The nationalist delirium in the streets of Athens by students of the Naval Academy must be investigated and punished severely. We do not forget the betrayal of Cyprus by the junta, we do not forget that the megalomania and the crowns led to national defeats and disasters,” described Mr. Zachariadis, as he added that “the far right in both Greece and Cyprus, whenever it took matters into its own hands, led matters to defeat, national retreat and disaster. What should we remember first? We do not forget anything!”

“In addition to the stadiums, we now also have parades to express our tastes. Shame on the slogans that the Navy detachment shouted, which are deeply ahistorical. "Cyprus is Greek," said Sampson and the coup plotters in Greece and Cyprus in 1974, with results that we are paying for to this day," said the Secretary of the New Left, concluding that "shame on the hooligan slogans during the parade. Not a single step back in the face of the thick, ahistorical nationalism that is served up in the parades as national magic. The Minister of National Defense should immediately expose those responsible for this shame and explain to them what their role is in a democracy."