By Dora Antoniou

The issue of the amendment on the Unknown Soldier has been closed, the government declares, which is turning its attention to the next day and specifically to the implementation of what was legislated in the field. The student march on October 28 will be a powerful test of whether the government can convince itself that it can implement its plan for the monument in the face of attempts to occupy the site, which have already been announced.

The government representative, Pavlos Marinakis, it was clear yesterday that there is no way the government will back down. “These days are sacred, these days belong to the Greeks, these days belong to those who stood up, sacrificed for the country, whether we are talking about October 28th or March 25th or we are talking about all the important days for our Nation and we will not allow anyone to jeopardize their celebration” he said first and then added:“I think that the citizens will judge us very harshly, so the highest duty of this Government is to put the law above everyone and everything, from everyone. No one can be above the law. So I think anyone who intends to obstruct, disrupt, restrict, do anything, especially in a celebration of a national anniversary, would do well to think again and again. I am sure that the only one competent to give him answers, the Greek Police, will again give the most resounding answer, protecting the vast majority of society, those who simply want to go to honor our heroes”.

Government sources do not rule out attempts on the day of the parade to take advantage of the crowd in the city center by people who will seek to cause a disturbance or with provocations to create a problem. For this reason it is done special designso as to minimize the possibility of such actions being implemented.

However, the government representative was absolutely clear yesterday, regarding the audience to which the government sought to address with this particular initiative. As he said, the polls show that the citizens who some ironically call “housewives” “they belong in all political spaces, they are people who pay their taxes and contributions to a state that wants to protect them and make them feel safe.”

However, the issue continues to fuel political controversy and provide fodder for divergent approaches to emerge even within the government. And, as was seen from yesterday’s reaction of the mayor of Athens, Harry Doukasthis confrontation will be transferred to the courtrooms as well.

The Unknown Soldier ultimately proved to be a catalyst for many conflicts in the mainstream politics.