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I say YES to the anniversary of NO. I say YES to the value of the Nation, to national identity and to a good knowledge of History.

I say No to the new Ottomanism of our neighbors and I celebrate national anniversaries to remind any potential invader that here lives a people who know how to defend themselves "for their homeland."

I say Yes to the double anniversary and its symbolism. I remember that on October 26, 1912, Tahsin Pasha capitulated and handed over Thessaloniki to the Greek Army, on the feast day of the patron saint, Saint Demetrius. And I put the flag on the balcony for the entire festive three-day period.

I say Yes to the correct teaching of History in schools. So that our children do not declare on television that like today we fought the Turks.

I say yes to historical memory. So that we can remember that in 1940, Greece alone fought and humiliated Mussolini, when most European countries had surrendered or been defeated or had – even worse – joined the Axis.

I say Yes to student parades, because they are a tribute to the struggles of our youth. Because they remind us of the participation of boys and girls in every national effort. I say No to the misinterpretations about parades, because this custom is linked to the Unforgettable Homelands. There is a photograph of Saint Chrysostom of Smyrna accepting the salute of a student parade in Smyrna in 1920. Anyone who wants to abolish student parades insults the memory of Asia Minor Hellenism.

I say Yes to the No of Hellenism. Because the NO of 1940 comes from afar. It continues the Molon Lavé of Leonidas, the haughty response of Constantine Palaiologos, the NO of the Messolongites of 1826. And it reminds us that Hellenism was recorded in world history for its NOs.

I say Yes to National Anniversaries, because I believe that the prophets of ethno-nihilation and the abolition of Nations will be disproved daily. Nations, nation-states, national consciousness are values ​​and institutions that have a future and even guarantee the better functioning of democracy.

I say Yes to the celebration of National Anniversaries, because they remind us of the value of national unity and the damage caused by Division.

I say Yes to 28^η October and I say No to the voices that propose other dates for the Panhellenic celebration. The idea of ​​celebrating only October 12, 1944, because that is when Athens was liberated, is ahistorical and regionalist. First, because during the Occupation, the Greeks were already celebrating the 28th^η October despite the opposition of the Italians and Germans. And secondly because Greece is not only Athens. Thessaloniki was liberated two weeks later and Crete eight months after Athens!

I celebrate and reread the historical testimonies. And I remember how much faith in the Virgin Mary helped the Greek soldier, who was offended by the torpedoing of the HELLENIC ship in Tinos. And I reread the inspired texts of the then Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Chrysanthos Philippides. The Archbishop who fought first in Trebizond in Pontus and then said three consecutive NOs to the German invaders.

I celebrate National Anniversaries because I honor our dead!

Article in PARAPOLITICS, 29.10.2022