Vlasis Gavriilidis

Vlasis Gavriilidis
Native name	Βλάσης Γαβριηλίδης
Born	1848 Selimpaşa in East Thrace
Died	12 April 1920 Athens
Occupation	Journalist
Language	Greek
Nationality	Greek
Literary movement	Demoticism
Notable works	Don't Get Lost Akropolis
Years active	1867–1920

Vlasis Gavriilidis or Vlassis Gavrielides (Greek: Βλάσης Γαβριηλίδης; 1848–1920) was a prominent Greek journalist who in 1883 founded the progressive newspaper Akropolis in Athens. He played a significant role in the politics of the day, often supporting the demoticist movement in the Greek language question; at one stage, "It was said that a critical article by Gavriilidis could topple a Greek government."

Gavriilidis and Akropolis also played a large part in the events leading up to the Gospel Riots of 1901. The newspaper had published a translation of the Gospel of St Matthew into modern spoken Greek (by now very different from the ancient koine Greek of the original gospel, still used liturgically by the Greek Orthodox Church). This provoked a hostile reaction in some political and cultural quarters, which gradually became more violent until "Black Thursday", when eight demonstrators were killed.

Born in 1848 in Selimpaşa on the Thracian shore of the Sea of Marmara, Gavriilidis was educated at the elite Great School of the Nation in Constantinople, later going on to study literature, philosophy and political science in Leipzig, sponsored by the wealthy diplomat and philanthropist Simon Sinas.

Returning to Constantinople, he began writing articles with a political theme, and founded the short-lived journal Concord (Ομόνοια), which soon merged with Neologos (Νεολόγος ()) in 1867. Later he started another paper, Reform (Μεταρρύθμισις), which because of its political content began to attract the attention of the Turkish police. Eventually he had to move to Athens to avoid arrest.

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