With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Greek ultras set fire to history book, say it's pro-Turk

About 30 members of the extreme right-wing group Chryssi Avgi (Golden Dawn) burned copies of a primary school history book outside Parliament on Saturday because they said its narrative favors the Turks.

Militants yelled anti-Turk slogans and distributed pamphlets urging resistance to closer ties between Greece and Turkey. Riot police eventually broke up the demonstration.

Chryssi Avgi’s protest also coincided with a student march in Athens on Saturday marking Greece’s Independence Day.

Education Minister Marietta Giannakou said yesterday that the book may be modified. The Church of Greece and some Greek parents have criticized the book for glossing over key moments in Greek history.
Read entire article at Kathimerini (Athens)