Corfu teachers' union plans anti-Israeli protest on date Nazis rounded up the island's Jews for extermination
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
The decision of teachers' union ELME Corfu to organize a demonstration this afternoon, June 9, 2025, for Palestine has caused reactions. Most teachers' unions are governed by left-leaning boards and take up the baton of leftist causes, which in Greece have spun out of the political arena into issues that are emotionally sensitive and populist, but have no social or political bearing on their profession, remuneration, work rights, or even Greek social reality. One such issue has to do with a conflict in another country: the issue of the war in Gaza. This again raises questions of rampant anti-semitism in the ranks of the Greek Left.
The Secretary General of Religious Affairs, George Kalantzis, also raised concerns about the choice of date, noting that the demonstration, against Israel and in favor of Palestine, is taking place on the day of the Holy Spirit, which is important for Orthodoxy and has been established as a holiday for specific sectors - including teachers - but also a day with particularly heavy symbolism for Corfu.
“It is the date that the Nazis gathered the Greek Jews of Corfu and began their mission to the Auschwitz extermination camp. Of the approximately 2,000 Jews of Corfu, only 166 survived,” explains Mr. Kalantzis in his statement and wonders: "Out of the 365 days of the year, why did the ELME of Corfu choose June 9?".
In detail, the statement of Giorgos Kalantzis:
The ELME of Corfu calls for a demonstration on June 9 with the slogan "No support for the murderous state of Israel".
June 9, 2025 is a particularly important day for Orthodoxy as it is the feast of the Holy Spirit which has been established as a holiday for specific professional sectors, including teachers and judges, as a recognition of their contribution to the general spiritual life of the nation.
However, especially in Corfu, June 9 of each year has a particularly heavy symbolism. It is the date that the Nazis rounded up the Greek Jews of Corfu and began their mission to the Auschwitz extermination camp. Of the approximately 2,000 Jews of Corfu, only 166 survived.
Out of the 365 days of the year, why did ELME Corfu choose June 9th?
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