Communist Party of Greece pays tribute to fighters

The event, which attracted a large audience including many local residents, combined historical remembrance with opposition to plans by the Greek government and the Attica regional authorities to allocate part of the former prison complex for the establishment of a Pistachio Museum.

According to 902.gr, The programme began with a march from the port to the prison complex under the slogan, "The prisons of Aegina are not sold, not rented, not bought out. Defending the history of our people and Aegina is the responsibility of all of us." Participants then took part in a guided tour outlining the history of the building, which was originally constructed in 1828, and its role as a site of imprisonment for political prisoners. The tour highlighted the experiences of communist detainees and other resistance fighters who were held there. Former local resident Flora Alifanti also shared personal childhood memories of the prisoners and their interactions with the people of Aegina.

The main address was delivered by Nikos Abatielos, member of the Executive Committee of the KKE Central Committee and Member of Parliament for Piraeus. He paid tribute to the imprisoned communists, describing their steadfast commitment to socialism and their ability to transform imprisonment into a place of political struggle, education and collective action. Abatielos argued that preserving the historical significance of Aegina Prison is both an act of historical justice and a commitment to continuing the struggles of previous generations. He pledged that the KKE would oppose any attempt to depoliticize the site or reduce it to a neutral tourist attraction and reiterated the party's commitment to establishing a permanent monument honoring those imprisoned and executed there.

Greeting the event on behalf of the Communist Youth of Greece, Nikos Fassas emphasized the importance of defending historical memory against what he described as attempts to distort or erase the history of the communist movement. He argued that proposals to repurpose the prison complex sought to deprive future generations of an important source of political education and inspiration. Fassas also stressed the responsibility of younger generations to preserve the legacy of communist resistance and to counter historical revisionism.

Nikos Triantafyllou, representing the Association of Imprisoned and Exiled Resistance Fighters (SFEA), also addressed the gathering. He paid tribute to the thousands of communists and other political activists imprisoned, exiled or persecuted by the Greek state during different historical periods, including the Nazi occupation and the military dictatorship. He criticized efforts to neglect, commercialize or alter former sites of political imprisonment, including Aegina Prison, and called for these historical sites to be preserved under public responsibility and made accessible for educational and commemorative purposes.

The event concluded with a musical programme and was attended by several KKE elected representatives and officials, including Members of Parliament Diamanto Manolakou and Nikos Abatielos, regional and municipal representatives, and leaders of peace movement organizations. Following the ceremony, wreaths were laid at memorials marking the execution sites at Tourlos and the communal grave at the cemetery of Agia Irini, commemorating those executed during their imprisonment at Aegina.