1. “Ohi” Day,28th of October
Anniversary of the "No"
Ohi Day
28 October 1940
B2 ,4th High School Of Heraklion
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2. Anniversary of the "No"in Greece
Ohi Day (also spelled Ochi Day,"'Ohi", Anniversary of the "No") is celebrated
throughout Greece, Cyprus and the Greek communities around the world on
October 28 each year, to commemorate the rejection by Greek Prime Minister
Ioannis Metaxas (in power from August 4, 1936, until January 29, 1941) of the
ultimatum made by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on October 28, 1940.
This ultimatum, which was presented to Metaxas by the Italian ambassador in
Greece,on October 28, 1940, at dawn (04:00 am), after a party in the German
embassy in Athens, demanded that Greece allow Axis forces to enter the Greek
territory and occupy certain unspecified "strategic locations" or otherwise face war.
It was allegedly answered with a single laconic word: όχι (No!) However, his actual
reply was, Alors, c'est la guerre (Then it is war).
In response to Metaxas's refusal, Italian troops stationed Albania, then an Italian
protecorate, attacked the Greek border at 05:30 am—the beginning of Greece's
participation in World War II.
B2 ,4th High School Of Heraklion
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3. On the morning of October 28 the Greek population flooded the streets, irrespective
of the political affiliation, shouting 'ochi'. From 1942, it was celebrated as “Ohi” (no)
Day.
During the war, October 28 was commemorated yearly by Greek communities
around the world and in Greece and Cyprus, and after World War II it became a
public holiday in Greece and Cyprus. The events of 1940 are commemorated every
year with military and student parades. On every anniversary, most public buildings
and residences are decorated with Greek flags.
B2 ,4th High School Of Heraklion
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