Greek protesters topple Truman statue in anti-war demo

[Barrett808]

ATHENS (Reuters) - In a move harking back to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Greek leftists pulled down a statue of former U.S. President Harry S. Truman as part of an anti-war demonstration on Tuesday against the Israeli bombing of Lebanon.

"About 25 demonstrators tied ropes to the Truman statue and pulled it down," a police spokesman told Reuters.

The group was part of a larger demonstration of several hundred Greeks marching on the U.S. and Israeli embassies.

The statue, located in central Athens not far from the U.S. embassy, has been the subject of numerous attacks over the years. It has been seriously damaged at least twice before, once by a bomb attack in the 1980s.

As president, Truman supported the right-wing Greek government against Greek Communists in the country's 1946-48 civil war.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060725/wl_nm/greece_statue_dc

[Roland99]

1. I just love the goodwill George has created throughout the world!

Isn't it lovely?!

[tocqueville]

2. see thread and pics here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1728435&mesg_id=1728435

[Vidar]

3. I like Truman , but otherwise approve.

[tanyev]

4. Let's see if this gets any coverage on the 5:30 news.

[bemildred]

5. An excellent choice.

Truman was war party all the way.

[Zynx]

6. Considering Greece was spared the horrors that Eastern Europe went

through throughout the Cold War, that is an odd thing to do.

[daleo]

9. They had a right wing military dictatorship

And civil war. They had their share of horrors.

[Solon]

15. Spared from what horrors?

Death Squads? No wait, they had those.

Brutal Dictatorships? No wait, they did have that, courtesy of the United States.

Disappearances, kidnappings, etc? No wait, they ALSO had those.

So what were they "spared" from again?

[stepnw1f]

7. Right Wingers Have Destroyed Our Good Name

f*n parasites

[Dover]

8. This deep anger has been festering for a LONG time in southern

European countries particularly. It just never made the papers here. But anyone who has traveled over there is probably aware of this. Some are and always have been politically opposed to American hegemony and capitalism. But many others have joined their ranks....especially after Bush Sr.s first incursion during the first Gulf War.

The hate is palpable.

[papau]

11. I agree - in the 90's you could talk to the left - they were much more to

the left than the left in the US, but they were friendly.

Now post W they do not want to waste time talking with you.

And this in country where the national response to any request is "no problem".

[SensibleAmerican]

10. Fuck those thugs

n/t

[Solon]

16. Yeah, fuck them for knowing their own history...

A history where Truman supported one of the most brutal dictatorships after WW2, that lead to the rule of the Generals.

[davepc]

18. The guys Stalin backed would of been wine and roses, of course.

[Solon]

19. Dude, you really have no clue about world politics...

Throughout most of the Cold War, the US always fought "Communists" either through proxies or not, in some cases it was legitimate, like Vietnam, at least they WERE communists, other times, they actually fought slightly left of center political groups, like in Nicaragua. As far as Greece is concerned, there were many groups that fought in that civil war, and a coalition government, including Social Democrats, Socialists, and even Communists, along with more rightwing groups, all under a banner of democracy would have been better than who we supported.

Do you really think the rightwing dictatorship of Greece was BETTER than a Communist takeover would have been? I don't think so, but then again, we should have STAYED OUT OF THEIR DISPUTE ENTIRELY. We fuck things up enough as it is.

[davepc]

20. a "banner of democracy" would of been great, but Stalin and the KKE

had no intention of ever letting a democratic goverment emerge in Greece after the fascists were pushed out. The ELAS and KKE had two goals, remove the Italian/German fascist occupation, and subvert and expel the Greek goverment in exile in Cairo. Stalin was pulling the strings of the KKE the whole time. His biggest concern was that the communist and other anti-goverment forces in the ELAS would take action against the British supported Greek goverment in exile while they were still out of the country. He was afraid that would drive a wedge between himself and the rest of the allies before the war was over. On top of this Titos communists were doing their best to set up a communist dictatorship friendly to the new Yugoslavian communist goverment.

The KKE and factions of the ELAS were in armed opposition to the Western Allies in Athens as early as December 1944. The American 4th Infantry Division was sent to Greece to help suppress the communist uprising. During the fighting the KKE murdered thousands of people to enhance their position.

The right wing response to the KKE was just as brutal, but the Greek communists, backed by Tito and Stalin were just as bad as the right wing authoritarians supported by Truman and the British.

Why should of the British and Americans abandoned their wartime ally after the defeat of the Nazis, while Stalin and Tito were still actively supporting the communist uprising against the legitimate (pre Italian/German invasion) goverment?

The decision to "stay out of it" was long past in 1945.

[Redstone]

12. Well, that'll sure as shit stop Truman from doing anything

they don't like, ever again.

Sure taught HIM a lesson, didn't they?

Redstone

[Bush_MUST_Go]

13. As long as Turkey is our ally, Greece will distrust us.

[Redstone]

14. Well, at least they don't have to worry about Truman anymore.

He's not going to do a THING to bother them.

Redstone

[Rex]

17. Wow, Bush has really formed some longterm animosity around the

world. We are going to pay for 8 years of misjustice, maybe for decades to come. I wonder how James Baker sleeps at night knowing he helped destroy America.