Democratic Defense
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Democratic Defense
Δημοκρατική Άμυνα |
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|---|---|
| Leader | Georgios Mylonas, Sakis Karagiorgas |
| Founded | May 1967 |
| Merged into | Panhellenic Socialist Movement |
| Ideology | Greek nationalism, Democratic socialism, Social democracy, Progressivism, Antifascism, Antiauthoritarianism, Opposition to Greek military junta |
| Political position | Left-wing |
Democratic Defense (Greek: Δημοκρατική Άμυνα) was one of the many anti-dictatorial struggle groups that fought against the Greek military junta of 1967-1974. It evolved from the "Alexandros Papanastasiou" political research group in 1967, as a response to the regime.
In reality, there was no leader but afterarrest, the members nominated as leader a prominent retired general, general George Iordanides, because he was the most well known personality among all the participants as he had held high ranking positions in the NATO during the 1950s. The organisation responded to the brutal regime with bombings to some targets that represented the financial supporters of the junta (like the Esso-PAPPAS gas station blowing in 1969).
Among its most widely known members were Costas Simitis, subsequently Prime Minister of Greece, Nikos Konstantopoulos, subsequently president of the Synaspismos party, professor of economics in Panteion University Sakis Karagiorgas, Georgios-Alexandros Mangakis, professor of criminal law in the University of Athens, general Georgios Iordanides, a well known military analyst and a national security advisor of Georgios Papandreou during his administration, Vasilis Filias, professor of sociology in Panteion University, lawyer Dimosthenis Konaris, John Starakis, a journalist, Christos Rokofyllos, subsequently minister of Foreign Affairs, Dimitrios Kotsakis, a trade union member, Athanasios Filias, a mechanical engineer, Georgios Kouvelakis, subsequent minister of Justice, brothers Antonios Michalakeas (subsequently, a judge of the Supreme Court of Greece) and Athanassios Michalakeas (subsequently a president of the court of Appeal), Georgios Kosmas (later on also a member of the supreme court of Greece), Spyros Plaskovitis (later on also a judge of the Supreme Court of Greece and a member of the European Parliament elected with PASOK), Ioannis Papadopoulos, a well known plastic surgeon (later on a minister of Health during the first government formed by PASOK in 1981) etc.
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