Once again there are protests in Chania (city on the Greek island of Crete) against the NATO base located there. This time the anger of the population was sparked by an attempted rape of a 14 year old girl by a US soldier.
In recent years, there have been frequent anti-imperialist demonstrations there, directed among other things against NATO, its seizure of the Aegean Sea, demanding withdrawal from the EU and NATO, and the withdrawal of all Greek troops from abroad. There were also demonstrations against this base during the pandemic, when there were repressive measures against the people, and massive militarization in the police and military apparatus.
On the Greek news platform antigeitonies3.blogspot.com it can be read that there is anger and indignation about the latest incident within the masses. On Sunday, March 20, a 14-year-old student of the Music School of Chania was attacked by a US soldier who entered her room, threatened and terrorized her. The student escaped only by chance. What is particularly sinister about this: Never would the soldier be convicted, since the agreement on US-NATO bases explicitly states that all US soldiers, no matter what crime they commit, will not be tried in Greece. The students, parents, teachers, the people of Chania experience “first hand” what the US-NATO base means in their daily lives. For decades, incidents of beatings, rapes and beatings have been accumulating.
Once again, the people of Chania are calling for anti-imperislitic protest. They oppose the NATO base in their city and they oppose Greece’s participation in the Ukraine war!
