The "Neo-Hellenic" Dream!

Date: 13.08.2004

Time: 21.00

Place: Athens Olympic Stadium 

Phevos & Athena (Mascots of the 2004 games) 

It was exactly 10 years ago, in a full of 72.000 spectators, Olympic Stadium in Athens when a female announcer was "welcoming the citizens of the world in the fest of Athens". The 28th Olympiad was about to begin. It was the day that the "Neo-hellenic" dream reached its highest peak! It was the day that the "average" Greek citizen was "filed up with National Pride" for the achievements of his "strong" country. (Ισχυρή Ελλάδα / Ischiri Ellada, that's how the ones who were in power back in the days used to call the land). Few years ago the country had became a member of a Euro-zone, the statistics and the indicators were clear: everything was going up. His beloved homeland was the strongest in the area, even his national team was on top of the European Football. He had no doubt: the future belonged to him and nothing could stop it...

G.A.Daskalakis (President of the organizing committee) with J. Rogge (president of the International Olympic committee) during the games

Increasing of the repression in the name of security (involving even NATO), austerity measures, economical scandals (officially the cost of the games estimated up to 8.5 billions Euro when the real cost is still unknown) everything was acceptable in the name of our "National Challenge". Just few years after the same "average citizen" was trying to figure out what went wrong and the things end up the way they were. It was the period that he experienced the best possible way how "expensive" was his old dream seeking  the answers by yelling about thieves and traitors, complaining for corruption and immigrants and voting for Neonazis... He knows he was / is also guilty of all the things are still going on in Greece nowadays but he never was brave enough to admit it! For him the "We all together..." become the alibi he was looking for in order to make peace with his consciousness... 

The day the war will be declared inside him the hope for a real change will rise again! Til then we have to make clear that the dreams were / are NOT the same for everyone of us... 

Protest organized by trade unions in memory of the dead workers of the Olympiad, Athens 10.08.2004

In memory of the 13 dead workers (Greek and Immigrants) who helped the "dream" come true... 

Christos Miamis (62)

Kotsi Astrit (35)

Vangelis Meri (45)

Manea Marinel (32)

Alexis Batsi (32)

Thanassis Papagiorgis (45) 

Krekou Yianni (29)

Michalis Evangelou (46) 

Elias Mauropoulos (48) 

L. Marinakis (29)

Panagiotis Mpolanis (58)

Ntoka Ntalip (51)

Sotiris Sekas (51)