National Liberation Front (Greece)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National Liberation Front (EAM) (Greek: Εθνικό Απελευθερωτικό Μέτωπο (ΕΑΜ), Ethniko Apeleftherotiko Metopo) was the main movement of the Greek Resistance during the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II.

It was founded in 27 September 1941 by representatives of four left-wing parties : Lefteris Apostolou for the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Christos Chomenidis, for the Socialist Party of Greece (ΣΚΕ), Ilias Tsirimokos, for the Greek Popular Republic (ΕΛΔ) and Apostolos Voyiatzis for the Agricultural Party of Greece (ΑΚΕ) against the Nazi occupation. The acting leader was Giorgios Siantos (KKE's proper leader, Nikolaos Zachariadis, was interned in Dachau concentration camp). Its military wing, formed in 1942, was the National People's Liberation Army (ELAS). It also had a crude "navy", the "National People's Liberation Navy " (Ethniko Laiko Apeleftherotiko Naftiko, ELAN) but engaged primarily in land-based resistance against the German occupying forces.

ELAS fought against German, Italian and Bulgarian occupation forces and at the eve of the liberation of Greece engaged in a war against guerrilla forces of right-wing organizations, namely the National Republican Greek League (EDES) and the National and Social Liberation (EKKA). EAM-ELAS was very active and successful, and towards the end of the war its political power grew considerably to the point of establishing an outlaw government, the Political Committee of National Liberation (Greek: Πολιτική Επιτροπή Εθνικής Απελευθέρωσης) (PEEA), to govern the significant amount of Greek territory EAM had managed to liberate from Axis control. The conflict with right-wing, nationalist or western-oriented republican forces escalated, leading to the outbreak of the Greek Civil War that lasted until 1949.

The EAM organized a peaceful demonstration in Athens on December 3, 1944 against British interference, six weeks after the liberation of the country. Members of the LOK as well as "British troops and police with machine guns... positioned on rooftops" suddenly opened fire on the crowd, resulting in 25 dead protesters (including a six-year-old boy) and 148 wounded ^[1]. In London, Churchill faced an angry House of Commons, while the role of the LOK in the Syntagma massacre was never investigated ^[2].

[edit] References

^ Daniele Ganser, 2005. NATO's Secret Armies. Operation Gladio and Terrorism in Western Europe (London, Franck Cass), pp.213-214 (his quote)
^ Peter Murtagh, op.cit., p.30, quoted by Ganser (2005), p.214