““As a result of the incident, a diplomat of the Embassy of Ukraine was injured, and among the participants of the event, in particular children, serious concerns arose””, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“As a result of the incident, a diplomat of the Embassy of Ukraine was injured, and among the participants of the event, in particular children, serious concerns arose,” the agency noted.
According to the Ukrainian diaspora, the event, organized by the Ukrainian-Greek Chamber in cooperation with the municipality of Mandra-Idylia and with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in Greece, was aimed at “perpetuating the memory of one of the most terrible crimes against humanity of the 20th century. The Holodomor, as an unrecognized and unpunished crime, continues to take the lives of Ukrainians even today, almost a century after the artificial famine provoked by the Soviet authorities in the most fertile lands of Europe.”
“An atmosphere of fear and chaos reigned where the prayer was to be heard,” said the Ukrainian priest, commenting on the event he witnessed.
According to eyewitnesses, attackers with communist symbols blocked access to the Shevchenko monument, shouted insults, threats and resorted to aggressive actions.
Later, on the official page of the Embassy of Ukraine in Greece, a statement was published in which they demanded “to investigate the attack on the action held by Ukrainians in the city of Mandra to the day of remembrance of the victims of the Holodomor, and it was confirmed that “the actions of the attackers physically harmed a Ukrainian present at the event
The embassy protested against “aggressive actions and provocations against the participants of the Ukrainian community action”, noting that the attackers were members of the Communist Party of Greece.
“The embassy strongly condemns the shameful disruption of the commemorative event, which has deep historical and emotional significance for the Ukrainian people. This provocation, which culminated in physical attacks – including an attack on a Ukrainian diplomat who was injured – is completely unacceptable and constitutes a flagrant violation of international norms protecting diplomatic personnel,” the statement said.
The embassy called on Greece to ensure a “proper investigation of the incident.”
“It is important to ensure the right of individuals and communities to commemorate historical tragedies without fear of intimidation or violence… We believe that the relevant Greek authorities will do everything necessary to respond to this serious incident and prevent similar provocations in the future,” the embassy emphasized.
After the start of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, consideration of the issue of recognizing the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people intensified in a number of countries, and parliaments around the world began to recognize the Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people.
On December 15, 2022, the European Parliament supported the resolution recognizing the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people. MEPs also called on Russia, as the legal successor of the USSR, to apologize for the actions of the Soviet regime against Ukraine.
The artificial famine arranged by the Soviet authorities in 1932–1933 in Ukraine is known as the Holodomor. In November 2006, the Verkhovna Rada recognized it as genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Ukraine, referring to the data of the scientific and demographic examination, claims that the total number of human losses from the Holodomor-genocide of 1932-33 is almost 4 million people, and the losses of Ukrainians in the part of the unborn amount to more than 6 million.
Radio Svoboda’s special project dedicated to the Holodomor-genocide, at the link
Video testimonies of eyewitnesses of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 are here