AKEL on the anniversary of 28 October 1940

 

27 October 2025, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

AKEL, honoring the anniversary of 28 October 1940, pays tribute to the heroic “NO” that the Greek people responded with courage, heroism, and self-sacrifice to the unprovoked attack launched by Italian fascism. Unfortunately, the sacrifices of the Greek fighters in the mountains of Albania weren’t enough to prevent the conquest of Greece by the Axis forces. The Epic period of Albania is written in gold letters in the history of Greece and humanity, and was followed by the glorious period of the National Resistance, led by the EAM-ELAS, which united the Greek people in the struggle for a free and democratic Greece.

The Greek people’s struggle against Hitlerism has gone down in history as an important chapter in the Resistance of all humanity against the darkness of fascism and Nazism. On the occasion of the anniversary of 28 October, AKEL honors the memory, the sacrifices and struggles waged by all those who fought for humanity to defeat barbarism, for the freedom of Greece and the whole world. Among them were thousands of Cypriot anti-fascist volunteer fighters in World War II, who made their own significant contribution to the universal struggle to crush fascism and ensure the triumph of freedom and democracy.

The anniversary of 28 October 1940 should not just be commemorated, but also serve as a valuable lesson in history. A lesson that reminds us that the ideological notions of hatred that rose to power at that time spread and prevailed by engaging in demagoguery, sowing hatred and exploiting the needs of the people and which are now returning in a refined form. Neo-fascism is returning to Europe and the world today, led by those nostalgic for Mussolini and Hitler, dressed in the sheep’s clothing of nationalism, contesting power and office. The struggle of the Greek people for Peace, their homeland, democracy, and the victory of humanity, which began with their heroic “NO” on 28 October 1940, continues to convey a living message of history that is passed down from generation to generation: we must not allow them to return!