23 February 1943 - The EPON foundation

70 years since the establishment of EPON

On February 23, 1943, by the decision of the EAM CC, it was founded in a small house, on Doukissis Plakentias Street in Ampelokipi, the Single Pan -Hellenic Youth Organization (EPON). It was preceded by the establishment of the first national liberation organization, "Eleftheria" in Thessaloniki on May 1, 1941 and "Democrat" in Athens, "National Solidarity" on May 28, 1941 at the initiative of exiled communists who escaped by Folegandros Care for injuries, disabled, imprisoned, exiled and generally the fighters, the establishment of the Labor National Liberation Front (EEAM) in the summer of the same year, on September 27, 1941, the establishment of the National Liberation Front (19) The establishment of the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS).

The EPON, despite the difficulties of the time, managed to have 640000 organized members in a short period of time. It was not the first organization of young people created in the Occupation but was the most massive. A year earlier at the initiative of OKNE, on February 5, 1942, the National Liberation Front of Youth (EAMN) was founded in Athens.

The main goals of EPON were:

The national liberation, the extermination of fascism, the restoration of popular sovereignty, the fight against imperialist wars and the defense of peace based on the principle of peoples' self -determination, the defense of economic, political, cultural and educational rights.

The battle against the conscription

Almost immediately after its founding, EPON was called upon to fight a very serious battle. On January 30, 1943, the Commander of the German Military Forces of Europe, Lieutenant General Alexander Lerre, issued an order in which: "Every resident of Greece aged 16-45 is obliged, when conditions demand, to take up a job for German or Italian or Italian Services indicated to him. Men's working forces are obliged to work outside their permanent place of residence if needed in camp communities. " In essence, the issue of political recruitment was in the Greek people. The decree will be announced to the Greek people on February 23 on the day of the establishment of EPON. The Germans are planning and preparing the transfer of Greeks to German factories. It was a forced choice after their defeat at Stalingrad. On February 24, the mobilizations (workers' strike) began and the demonstrations against the recruitment. A gathering is being held outside the office of the occupation Prime Minister Mr. Logotetopoulos. Thousands of EPON young people participate in the front line. The protesters occupy the Ministry of Labor and burn part of his files. They get the foods that the Germans had gathered in the basement of the building. The following day, students of Athens are also demonstrated. The Italians will shoot and kill the Eponite student Yiannis Drakopoulos. On March 5th, EAM is organizing a general strike in Athens. More than 250,000 Athenian and Piraeus protesters enter the Ministry of Labor and burn the conscription statements. The main streets of Athens and Piraeus became a battlefield between the unarmed people and the occupation forces. At least 18 were dead and over 130 were injured. Similar mobilizations will take place in Thessaloniki, Volos, Kalamata, Sparta, Corinth and more. Thus the people of Athens and Piraeus, along with the rest of the Greek people who resisted, managed to cancel the political conscription attempted by the occupation forces.

The first sheet of the "new generation" describes the evolution: "February 24th and March 5th! Yes, two dates that will remain historic. And unforgettable. Two days when the Athenian and Piraeus people with their youth fought and scanned the plans of the conquerors and imposed his will. The younger generation participated in unprecedented volume and militancy in these battles. March 5 was still the first baptism of EPON. A large demonstration of young girls and children crossed the central streets of Athens with screams "BELOW THE CONSTRUCTION - EPON, EPON".

The armed struggle

From the time of its establishment, the youth of the EPON actively participated in the armed struggle against the conquerors. The first rebel group consisted of 16 rebels (early 1943). In the liberation (October '44), the ELAS Eponite rebels reached 35,000. Over 8,000 were the select Eponite rebels who fought in the distinguished military sections. EPON guerrillas took part in 430 battles and killed over 1,300 Eponites.

But also in the cities (main in Athens) the Eponites fought with the Germans and the Battalions, so that in large areas of Athens they have been liberated and the Germans could not approach.

The battle against hunger

Also important is the battle that EPON fought to fight hunger. In the winter of 41-42, 300,000 Greeks died of hunger. Many were children. Winter 41 - 42 was one of the most difficult of the Occupation. 300000 were dead from hunger. The conquerors left nothing from the wealth that the country produced for the Greeks. Everything was seized.

EPON played a leading role in the foods organized. It is estimated that, only in cities, 220 organized canteens were secured for 65,000 children. In this way the existence of many future fighters has been preserved.

Later, with the liberation of large areas of the country, thousands of Eponites worked in cultivating fields and harvesting production.

Mobilizations

On March 25, 1943, the national anniversary of EPON and EAM was celebrated with mass demonstrations. In Athens there are clashes with the Germans.

In the summer of 1943, the Germans decided to expand the Bulgarian occupation throughout Greek Macedonia and Thrace in early July 1943. The Greek people rise up on July 10 and in the following days the flame of the uprising lights up in many great cities and many great cities. of Thessaly.

The race culminates on July 22 with the Panathinaic protest of 300,000 patriots, something unprecedented for the time. The demonstration is hit by German tank. 30 protesters were killed, another 200 injured about 500 were arrested. Eponite Panayiotas Stathopoulou puts her body in front of an armor. They shoot her and the crawls pass over her. Another Eponite Kula Lili climbs over the same tank and is killed. Other Eponites died heroically the same day. Doukakis, Kalozymis, Hadjithomas, Antoniadou, Stefaniotis etc. However, the goal was achieved to extend the Bulgarian occupation zone and the country's partition was canceled.

The "Castle of Ymittos"

On April 28, 1944, a battalion of German conquerors surrounds a small house in Ymittos. Inside it is a significant amount of ELAS reinforcement. Without knowing the Germans how many people keep the house start the attack. The guards of the armament were three 17 -year -old Eponites Dimitris Avgeris, Thanos Kiokmenidis and Kostas Foltopoulos.

The battle lasted for many hours. During this time, the three Eponites destroyed the weapons so that it would not fall into the hands of the Germans. They defended to death the elastic weapons and the small house, the legendary "Castle of Ymittos", as it was later called.

December of 44

Another heroic form, Electra Apostolou, who was a member of the EPON CS was tortured and assassinated in July 44 by the Gendarmerie.

At the same time as the armed struggle in the mountains and cities, the Eponites have succeeded in the Germans. Many materials were obsolete and warrants of war material were destroyed. A Eponite worker in Piraeus managed to blow up a whole German boat. There were many strikes organized by EPON.

The EPON contribution was also important to the December Battle of 44. The first was the Eponites in the demonstrations that the police painted in blood. First and in the armed conflicts with the English in Athens. In golden letters the epic of the Lord Byron of the EPON students was written in history.

After Varkiza and with the orgy of terrorism against the popular militants, the bourgeois state could not tolerate the continuation of the action of EPON. In 1946 more than 1,500 Eponites were assassinated and thousands of others were imprisoned or exiled.

On February 28, 1947, it is decided by a court ruling to dissolve the EPON. At the end of 1947 by Law 509 it is outlawed. But the EPON does not simply dissolve it will go into illegality and continue its struggle.

Culture - Education

The youth entertainment organization was also noteworthy. At the same time with the battles and conflicts with the Germans, the EPON managed to highlight significant achievements in the field of culture. He created schools where the Eponites themselves, schools, libraries, theaters taught. He was involved in young people's sport by creating hundreds of teams in many sports, trying, among other things (physical development, health, relief) to prevent youth from the scourge of drugs. Her contribution to the fun of the young people of that difficult time was also important, organizing mass excursions, discussions, travel. Finally, he managed to publish books and magazines under the nose of the conquerors. Of particular importance is the fact that two readers for elementary school children, "The Eagles" and "Free Greece" is published. For the first time in the history of the Greek state, tens of thousands of Greeks were distributed to free school books.

An excerpt from EPON printed print calling on the people to rebuild schools.

Newspaper: "FERIOS VOICE", Sheet 5

1 January 1944

ORGANIZATION OF COUNTRY COUNTRY GREECE OF EPO

OP OTHER SCHOOLS

The schools started and they open. The Eponites showed a great initiative. They helped the self -government and so many schools opened. But everything must be opened ... In the 3 years now the children of the people have been deprived of the most elementary education: to learn to read and write. This was a conscious pursuit of the conqueror. To sink us into the darkness of ignorance. But now the schools have to open until January 10th. It is a national duty. All Eponites help to repair or find the comb. Let us all take care to go to school. Our people must be educated because it will become a real ruler of the place.

Another side of EPON's cultural action was the creation of popular theaters. He created hundreds of amateur troupes in Greece. These troupes of EPON functioned as cores of entertainment, information and culture.

In the EPON forms ("New Generation") describes:

"He created hundreds of theaters all over Greece, where for the first time the youth and the people, especially the countryside, felt the joy of art. Hundreds of young choirs, theatrical groups, cultural workshops worked as the most detached from the life and culture of mountain village, to encourage, relieve and give joy and joy to the tormented people and the people who fought for themselves. "

The battle against drugs

The battle that EPON fought against drugs was also of the utmost importance. He writes in "The New Generation":

"No, but you are a civilization in the youth! The life of young people is not in the "Deketes" where the most horrible death lies, but:

· In sports that will give them iron bodies.

· In the clubs and libraries that will educate them.

· On excursions that bring them close to the beautiful and happy Greek nature.

· In civilized companions and celebrations that will fill them with optimism.

· In the choirs, the literary and artistic gatherings that will give them mental health, strength and pure joy.

This is how we will hit corruption at its root. This is how we will make Greeks worthy of our homeland, with strong souls in strong bodies, full of creative activity, pride of their parents and hope of our nation. "

EPON - Views in today

EPON managed to inspire thousands of fighters, managed to excite and pull youth in the struggle in the difficult years of the Occupation. He managed to give the struggle for independence and social justice, for a truly free Greece. "We are fighting and singing." It was one of its slogans, addressing the Greek youth.

What can the universal people have ideals of altruism, solidarity, common struggle and self -sacrifice, with the rotten youth system today? Occupy, individualism, ruffianism, lick, rooster.

What can the prospect of another society have had to do with the EPON based on the needs of the people, with the Middle Ages that the system reserves us today. Unemployment, poverty, war.

What can the struggle played by the young people of that time, by proposing their breasts against German tanks, the struggle with the gun in the mountains, with the bending of the head and the subjugation required by unemployed youth or Government and the troika today.

What can the titanic effort of the Eponites have to build to build schools, to educate the people, with the current situation where schools are closed and in various ways Thousands of students are thrown out of their physical space and are forced to abandon compulsory education.

What can the new way of life and entertainment have had to share with EPON young people with the rest of the Greek youth, with the ready, canned "fun" that the system offers today with the sole purpose of degeneration, controlled relief and of course the profit.

What can the Eponite's attempt to insist to inspire young people to engage with mass popular sport, the pure athletic spirit with today's commercialization of sport, doping and hooliganism.

Today's youth and the older ones need to look deeper at that time and we will surely draw rich and useful conclusions about the future. We can learn a lot from the organization of solidarity and the survival of survival always accompanied by the resistance to the conqueror. As we have a lot to learn about the pioneering role of the working class that came in front of the anti -fascist struggle.

We have a lot to learn from the struggle of the youth the difficult and brilliant 40s. From the first pansy strike declared in Athens - Piraeus on November 17, 1941 until the fight against the 1943 recruitment, the armed struggle against the conqueror, Against the dossiers and bailiffs, but also against the new aspiring masters of our people the English in December 44.

Today, when fascism raises a head again, either from the official state with the fascist of public life, or from the Golden Dawn fascists, the political descendants and the comrades of the Battalions, the action of the EPON is a compass for us in our struggle.

Today, it seems clear that the imperialists want to take the rematch from the peoples, to enslave workers and youth again, and to align entire countries with their interests, the EPON and EAM anti -imperialist struggle is a lighthouse for today. .

EPON is still talking in our hearts. She wrote unparalleled pages of heroism during her years of action. He still inspires us and teach us. It tells us that youthful revolutionary, spontaneity, the rebellious spirit must be blown up with the prospect of organized struggle, politicization, the awareness of the role of peoples in history as the protagonists in building a new society. How the role of the youth should be highlighted on the side of the people and in many cases of the front and the inspirer of the popular struggles. It is reminiscent of Yiannis Drakopoulos, Panayiotas Stathopoulou, Koula Lili, Thomis Hadjithomas, Electra Apostolou. We are reminded of the three Eponites of the Castle of Ymittos. We are reminded of the heroic Lord "Lord Byron".