Konstantinos Plevris
Encyclopedia
Konstantinos A. Plevris in English sometimes Constantine Plevris or Kostas Plevris, is a Greek
attorney of law
of the Greek Supreme Court
and far right
author and intellectual. A prolific writer, over the course of decades he has authored a number of books and other texts relating to Greek history, Greek culture, sociology
, and politics
, with a clear racist
, homophobic
(such as his book titled "Οι Κίναιδοι", a vehement polemic against homosexuals
) and nationalist slant. He was the founder and leader of two nationalist parties, 4th of August
and Front Line
, with the former political party not only playing a significant role in influencing and shaping the future direction of the Greek extreme right, but also standing in its own right as a prominent pre-junta political movement in general. He has also cooperated (according to interviews he gave to various publications, including one to Italian magazine L'Europeo
in 1976, which were quoted and accepted as proof in a court of law where he was the plaintiff against author Nikos Kleitsikas) with various European neo-fascist
groups (including the Ordine Nuovo
), and figures such as Pino Rauti
, Pino Romualdi
, Giorgio Almirante
, and others of the same ilk. According to his own statements, he had been a collaborator with various secret services, including the CIA. He later briefly joined the right-wing populist
party Popular Orthodox Rally
, as its leading candidate in the 2004 elections. Former and current members of the Chrysi Avyi neo-Nazi group have in the past been candidates with Popular Orthodox Rally. He currently hosts the weekly pseudohistorical
television show "Edo Ellas" (Εδώ Ελλάς in Greek) on the EXTRA-3 channel, and was the host of "Istorikes Mnimes" (Ιστορικές Μνήμες) on TeleAsty, Karatzaferis' TV channel.. He is father of Thanos Plevris
, member of the Greek parliament with the nationalist-populist
party Popular Orthodox Rally, whose parliament member Spyridon-Adonis Georgiades
often speaks of Plevris with admiration, promoting Plevris' anti-semitic tract "Jews: The Whole Truth" on his "Ellinon Egersis" show on Teleasty.
In December 2007, Plevris was initially found guilty of inciting racial hatred by a Greek court based on excerpts and quotations in his book "The Jews: The Whole Truth". He appealed the court ruling and on the 27th of March 2009 the court of appeals overturned the ruling of incitement with 4-1 votes. Plevris was cleared on the charge of having caused violence by the 5-member court, but it was noted that he was a Holocaust denier. The ruling prompted some unfavorable international reaction as to the thoroughness of the greek judicial system.
(Γαλλική Σχολή του Λεοντείου Λυκείου). He received his degree in Law from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
(πανεπ. Θεσσαλονίκης), his degree in Political Science from the Panteion University
(Πάντειο Πανεπιστήμιο), and his degree in Sociology from France (ΝΟΕ Παρισίων). As a professor, he taught political sociology and psychological warfare at the School of Police Officers (Σχολη Αξιωματικων των Σωμάτων Ασφαλείας) and the Faculty of General Education of the Hellenic Army General Staff (Σχολη Γενικής Μορφώσεως Αξιωματικων του Γενικου Επιτελείου Στρατού). Though Plevris no longer teaches in any academic institutions, he claims he was proclaimed an honorary professor of the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara
(for which he claims to have written several papers on the subject of ancient Greece, although no scientific library or archive seems to have them in its listings).
of terrorist
activities (bombing attacks), along with Aristotelis Kalentzis
, who was accused of being the perpetrator of these acts. Plevris claimed that Kalentzis was never a member of his 4th of August Party
and admitted that he informed the authorities of weapons and explosives possessed by Kalentzis. Plevris was cleared of the incitement charges, while Kalentzis was sentenced to 12 years in prison; this caused Kalentzis to write several books accusing Plevris of being a para-state agent and a snitch that framed him.
agent during the Cold War
and participated in bombings. Plevris successfully sued Nikos Kleitsikas and the publisher of the book, Aggelos Sideratos, for libel in the summer of 2006. The Greek court of appeals vindicated him and the defendants were forced to pay 15,000 euros in compensation for the not well documented claim that Plevris organized and participated in provocative acts to pave the path for the coup d'état
that brought into power the Greek military junta of 1967–1974, but the court found and accepted that the defendant proved Plevris' fascist leanings, as well as his connection with European neo-fascist terrorist groups and personalities (such as Pino Rauti
and the far-right terrorist
group Ordine Nuovo
), his collaboration with the Greek junta and his collaboration with various secret services, based on Plevris' own statements in interviews he had given. Thus, his court victory was pyrrhic
, as there is now a legal precedent that confirms his connection with all sorts of neo-fascist and terrorist groups. Also, on various occasions, Plevris has bragged about having been a collaborator of the Greek intelligence service, which was called KYP at that time.
and calls for the extermination of Jews
, published by Adonis Georgiades
in June 2006. For this book Plevris was indicted by the Greek District Attorney on charges of inciting racial violence http://www.e-tipos.com/newsitem?id=7506. Shortly after its publication in June 2006 the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece and the Greek Helsinki Monitor brought a suit against Plevris for "insult of Jews" and "injury to Judaism". Panagiotis Dimitras of the Greek Helsinki Monitor began to visit the Public Prosecutor's Office of District Court Judges on a daily basis to push the public prosecutors for legal action against Plevris and nationalist weekly newspaper Eleftheros Kosmos, which published extracts of the book, on charges of racism. After two months, and the support of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, he eventually succeeded and so, in December 2006, Plevris was indicted for violation of Article 191 of the Penal Code for dissemination of false news. Several weeks later Eleftheros Kosmos and Plevris learned that they were being taken to court under the Anti-Racist Law of 1979, a fact they say they were never informed of, although Plevris quoted this particular law in its entirety in his book. They held that the case should be thrown out for this reason alone, although the argument that one did not know the law is not acceptable in a Greek court of law. Both Plevris and Eleftheros Kosmos characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to suppress free speech. According to Plevris, this lawsuit had no legal basis because it was, to quote Plevris, a "violation of articles 320, 321 (paragraph 1), and 111 (paragraph 7) of the Greek Penal Code". Because this is the first time the aforementioned law has ever been used in Greek judicial history, this law is regarded as historic by both sides.
In the book, Plevris describes himself as a "Nazi, fascist, racist, anti-democrat, anti-Semite" (p. 600), subscribes to the myth of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (which he presents as authentic and valid evidence against the Jews), characterizes Jewish children in the concentration camps as "very fat" and "well-fed", claims that Jews are "subhuman" (p. 583) "mortal enemies", and criticizes the Nazis for "not ridding Europe of Jewish Zionism". In the same book, he characterizes former UN secretary Kofi Annan
as "cannibal" and "descendant of cannibals" and states that Jews need to be "rounded-up and executed within 24 hours", which is "the only way they understand" (p. 742). However, Plevris contends that "Of the 1,400 pages of my large book, the condemnation encompasses only several paragraphs, of which portions were extracted, with the result that another meaning was given to the words and truth is distorted due to the alteration of phrases".
For this book Plevris was indicted by the Greek district attorney on charges of inciting racial violence. Shortly after its publication the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece and the Greek Helsinki Monitor brought a suit against Plevris for "insulting Jews" and "injury to Judaism". They also brought charges against the newspaper Eleftheros Kosmos
, which published extracts of the book. In December 2006, Plevris was indicted for violation of Article 191 of the Penal Code, the dissemination of false news. Several weeks later Eleftheros Kosmos and Plevris learned that they were being taken to court under the Greek Anti-Racist Law of 1979. Both Plevris and Eleftheros Kosmos characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to suppress free speech. According to Plevris, this lawsuit had no legal basis as it is a "violation of articles 320, 321 (paragraph 1), and 111 (paragraph 7) of the Greek Penal Code".
The first hearing, which was set for 5 September 2007, was postponed until 11 September 2007. The trial began on 11 September 2007 but, due to time constraints, it was again postponed, this time to 3 December 2007.
On the first court date, 150 supporters, mainly from neo-Nazi and nationalist groups, attended to show moral support for Plevris and Eleftheros Kosmos
and over 200 police officers were stationed in the area out of fear that there would be clashes. However, the planned anti-fascist gathering never materialized and there were no incidents. During his trial, the following appeared to support Plevris : Christos Pasalaris and Kostas Kolmer (in addition both were also there as witnesses for the defense), Popular Orthodox Rally candidate Antonis Naxakis, Maria Tzanni, Spiros Zournatzis, Giorgos Shoinas, Giorgos Palmos (author of various pseudohistorical
books whose topics are usually conspiracy theories), Dr. Basilis Protopappas, Popular Orthodox Rally candidates Giannis Sirros and Giannis Tsilimigras, Maria Douraki who was accompanied by four Old Calendarist
clerics, Giorgos Loentaritis, Popular Orthodox Rally member Panagiotis Doumas, Vasilis Misiris.
On December 13, 2007 the court found Plevris guilty of inciting racial hatred and handed him a 14-month suspended sentence
. His co-accused, the publisher, editor and a journalist of Eleftheros Kosmos
were found not guilty. Plevris condemned the verdict, stating that "Jews are trying to fight me with this trial so they can shut my mouth".
Plevris appealed and was eventually acquitted on 27 March 2009; his acquittal caused international reactions that were very unfavorable towards the Greek judicial system, as the Greek justice system failed to enforce Greece's antiracist legislation.
-type libel suit against the newspaper for the sum of €
1.2 million. All four journalists of "Ios" (Dimitris Trimis, Tasos Kostopoulos, Aggeliki Psarra, and Dimitris Psarras), editor-in-chief Serafeim Fintanidis, and the paper's published, were sued for €200,000 euros each. The official court date has not yet been set. Plevris also sued Panagiotis Dimitras of the Greek Helsinki Monitor for the sum of €200,000 as compensation for libel. The court date was set for 7 February 2008. In addition, Plevris counter-sued all seven executive members of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece for €200,000 each. The court date was set for 24 January 2008.
As a result of the entire affair, Plevris wrote a book entitled The Struggle for the Truth: The Adventure of a Book, which claimed to detail the events, controversy, and circumstances of the last 15 months of the affair.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
attorney of law
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
of the Greek Supreme Court
Court of Cassation (Greece)
The Court of Cassation is the Supreme Court of Greece for civil and criminal law. The Court of Cassation's decisions are irrevocable. If the Court of Cassation concludes that a lower court violated the law or the principles of the procedure, then it can order the rehearing of the case by the lower...
and far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
author and intellectual. A prolific writer, over the course of decades he has authored a number of books and other texts relating to Greek history, Greek culture, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, and politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, with a clear racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
(such as his book titled "Οι Κίναιδοι", a vehement polemic against homosexuals
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
) and nationalist slant. He was the founder and leader of two nationalist parties, 4th of August
4th of August Party
The 4th of August Party was a radical Greek nationalist political party, founded in July 1965 by a group of young nationalists and led by Konstantinos Plevris...
and Front Line
Front Line (political party)
Front Line was a Greek nationalist party, formed in 1999.The party was headed by lawyer, historian, and nationalist thinker Konstantinos Plevris....
, with the former political party not only playing a significant role in influencing and shaping the future direction of the Greek extreme right, but also standing in its own right as a prominent pre-junta political movement in general. He has also cooperated (according to interviews he gave to various publications, including one to Italian magazine L'Europeo
L'Europeo
L'Europeo was a prominent Italian weekly news magazine launched on November 4, 1945, by the founder-editors Gianni Mazzocchi and Arrigo Benedetti. The magazine stopped publication in 1995.-Orientation:...
in 1976, which were quoted and accepted as proof in a court of law where he was the plaintiff against author Nikos Kleitsikas) with various European neo-fascist
Neo-Fascism
Neo-fascism is a post–World War II ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. The term neo-fascist may apply to groups that express a specific admiration for Benito Mussolini and Italian Fascism or any other fascist leader/state...
groups (including the Ordine Nuovo
Ordine Nuovo
Ordine Nuovo , full name Centro Studi Ordine Nuovo, "New Order Scholarship Center") was an Italian far right cultural and extra-parliamentary political and terrorist organization founded by Pino Rauti in 1956...
), and figures such as Pino Rauti
Pino Rauti
Giuseppe Umberto "Pino" Rauti is an Italian politician who has been a leading figure on the far right for many years...
, Pino Romualdi
Pino Romualdi
Giuseppe "Pino" Romualdi was an Italian right-wing politician who served both the Partito Fascista Repubblicano and the Movimento Sociale Italiano...
, Giorgio Almirante
Giorgio Almirante
Giorgio Almirante was an Italian politician, the founder and leader of the Italian Social Movement until his retirement in 1987.-Early life:...
, and others of the same ilk. According to his own statements, he had been a collaborator with various secret services, including the CIA. He later briefly joined the right-wing populist
Right-wing populism
Right-wing populism is a political ideology that rejects existing political consensus and combines laissez-faire liberalism and anti-elitism. It is considered "right-wing" because of its rejection of social equality and government programs to achieve it, its opposition to social integration, and...
party Popular Orthodox Rally
Popular Orthodox Rally
The Popular Orthodox Rally or The People's Orthodox Rally , often abbreviated to ΛΑ.Ο.Σ as a pun on the Greek word for people, is a Greek party. According to its political program LA.O.S...
, as its leading candidate in the 2004 elections. Former and current members of the Chrysi Avyi neo-Nazi group have in the past been candidates with Popular Orthodox Rally. He currently hosts the weekly pseudohistorical
Pseudohistory
Pseudohistory is a pejorative term applied to a type of historical revisionism, often involving sensational claims whose acceptance would require rewriting a significant amount of commonly accepted history, and based on methods that depart from standard historiographical conventions.Cryptohistory...
television show "Edo Ellas" (Εδώ Ελλάς in Greek) on the EXTRA-3 channel, and was the host of "Istorikes Mnimes" (Ιστορικές Μνήμες) on TeleAsty, Karatzaferis' TV channel.. He is father of Thanos Plevris
Thanos Plevris
Athanasios Plevris or Thanos Plevris is a Greek member of parliament and son of Greek author Konstantinos Plevris. He was elected into office in the 2007 parliamentary election with the Popular Orthodox Rally party....
, member of the Greek parliament with the nationalist-populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
party Popular Orthodox Rally, whose parliament member Spyridon-Adonis Georgiades
Adonis Georgiades
Adonis Georgiadis or Spyridon -Adonis Georgiadis, as his full name is , is a Greek right-wing politician, historian, publisher, and author. He served as the spokesman for the right-wing/nationalist Popular Orthodox Rally political party until August 2007...
often speaks of Plevris with admiration, promoting Plevris' anti-semitic tract "Jews: The Whole Truth" on his "Ellinon Egersis" show on Teleasty.
In December 2007, Plevris was initially found guilty of inciting racial hatred by a Greek court based on excerpts and quotations in his book "The Jews: The Whole Truth". He appealed the court ruling and on the 27th of March 2009 the court of appeals overturned the ruling of incitement with 4-1 votes. Plevris was cleared on the charge of having caused violence by the 5-member court, but it was noted that he was a Holocaust denier. The ruling prompted some unfavorable international reaction as to the thoroughness of the greek judicial system.
Education and academic background
Plevris graduated from the Lycée LéoninLycee Leonin
The Lycée Léonin, , is the oldest independent educational institution in Athens, Greece. The school belongs to the Catholic Church and is run by the Community of the Marist Brothers , a group of Catholic monks dedicated to education. It is a non-profit co-educational private school, founded in 1838...
(Γαλλική Σχολή του Λεοντείου Λυκείου). He received his degree in Law from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is the largest Greek university, and the largest university in the Balkans. It was named after the philosopher Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, Chalcidice, about 55 km east of Thessaloniki, in Central Macedonia...
(πανεπ. Θεσσαλονίκης), his degree in Political Science from the Panteion University
Panteion University
The Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences , usually referred to simply as the Panteion University, is a university located in Athens, Greece...
(Πάντειο Πανεπιστήμιο), and his degree in Sociology from France (ΝΟΕ Παρισίων). As a professor, he taught political sociology and psychological warfare at the School of Police Officers (Σχολη Αξιωματικων των Σωμάτων Ασφαλείας) and the Faculty of General Education of the Hellenic Army General Staff (Σχολη Γενικής Μορφώσεως Αξιωματικων του Γενικου Επιτελείου Στρατού). Though Plevris no longer teaches in any academic institutions, he claims he was proclaimed an honorary professor of the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara
Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara
The Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara A.C. is a private university in Mexico, the first of its kind.The campuses are located in Zapopan, Jalisco. The university has become one of the most important educational institutions in Latin America, attracting students from Mexico, Europe, South...
(for which he claims to have written several papers on the subject of ancient Greece, although no scientific library or archive seems to have them in its listings).
Terrorism charges
In 1977, Plevris was brought up on charges of incitementIncitement
In English criminal law, incitement was an anticipatory common law offence and was the act of persuading, encouraging, instigating, pressuring, or threatening so as to cause another to commit a crime....
of terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
activities (bombing attacks), along with Aristotelis Kalentzis
Aristotelis Kalentzis
Aristotle Herc. Kalentzis , in English often Aristotelis Kalentzis or sometimes Aristoteles Kalentzis, is a Greek national socialist horseback archery instructor and author who was sentenced in 1977 to 12 years in prison for terrorist activities...
, who was accused of being the perpetrator of these acts. Plevris claimed that Kalentzis was never a member of his 4th of August Party
4th of August Party
The 4th of August Party was a radical Greek nationalist political party, founded in July 1965 by a group of young nationalists and led by Konstantinos Plevris...
and admitted that he informed the authorities of weapons and explosives possessed by Kalentzis. Plevris was cleared of the incitement charges, while Kalentzis was sentenced to 12 years in prison; this caused Kalentzis to write several books accusing Plevris of being a para-state agent and a snitch that framed him.
Lawsuit against Nikos Kleitsikas
Nikos Kleitsikas, in his 2000 book The Greek Student Movement in Italy, claimed that Plevris was a CIA or MossadMossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
agent during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and participated in bombings. Plevris successfully sued Nikos Kleitsikas and the publisher of the book, Aggelos Sideratos, for libel in the summer of 2006. The Greek court of appeals vindicated him and the defendants were forced to pay 15,000 euros in compensation for the not well documented claim that Plevris organized and participated in provocative acts to pave the path for the coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
that brought into power the Greek military junta of 1967–1974, but the court found and accepted that the defendant proved Plevris' fascist leanings, as well as his connection with European neo-fascist terrorist groups and personalities (such as Pino Rauti
Pino Rauti
Giuseppe Umberto "Pino" Rauti is an Italian politician who has been a leading figure on the far right for many years...
and the far-right terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
group Ordine Nuovo
Ordine Nuovo
Ordine Nuovo , full name Centro Studi Ordine Nuovo, "New Order Scholarship Center") was an Italian far right cultural and extra-parliamentary political and terrorist organization founded by Pino Rauti in 1956...
), his collaboration with the Greek junta and his collaboration with various secret services, based on Plevris' own statements in interviews he had given. Thus, his court victory was pyrrhic
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
, as there is now a legal precedent that confirms his connection with all sorts of neo-fascist and terrorist groups. Also, on various occasions, Plevris has bragged about having been a collaborator of the Greek intelligence service, which was called KYP at that time.
Lawsuit over Jews: The Whole Truth
Konstantinos Plevris is the author of Jews: The Whole truth, an anti-semitic book containing outright praises for Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and calls for the extermination of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, published by Adonis Georgiades
Adonis Georgiades
Adonis Georgiadis or Spyridon -Adonis Georgiadis, as his full name is , is a Greek right-wing politician, historian, publisher, and author. He served as the spokesman for the right-wing/nationalist Popular Orthodox Rally political party until August 2007...
in June 2006. For this book Plevris was indicted by the Greek District Attorney on charges of inciting racial violence http://www.e-tipos.com/newsitem?id=7506. Shortly after its publication in June 2006 the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece and the Greek Helsinki Monitor brought a suit against Plevris for "insult of Jews" and "injury to Judaism". Panagiotis Dimitras of the Greek Helsinki Monitor began to visit the Public Prosecutor's Office of District Court Judges on a daily basis to push the public prosecutors for legal action against Plevris and nationalist weekly newspaper Eleftheros Kosmos, which published extracts of the book, on charges of racism. After two months, and the support of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, he eventually succeeded and so, in December 2006, Plevris was indicted for violation of Article 191 of the Penal Code for dissemination of false news. Several weeks later Eleftheros Kosmos and Plevris learned that they were being taken to court under the Anti-Racist Law of 1979, a fact they say they were never informed of, although Plevris quoted this particular law in its entirety in his book. They held that the case should be thrown out for this reason alone, although the argument that one did not know the law is not acceptable in a Greek court of law. Both Plevris and Eleftheros Kosmos characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to suppress free speech. According to Plevris, this lawsuit had no legal basis because it was, to quote Plevris, a "violation of articles 320, 321 (paragraph 1), and 111 (paragraph 7) of the Greek Penal Code". Because this is the first time the aforementioned law has ever been used in Greek judicial history, this law is regarded as historic by both sides.
In the book, Plevris describes himself as a "Nazi, fascist, racist, anti-democrat, anti-Semite" (p. 600), subscribes to the myth of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (which he presents as authentic and valid evidence against the Jews), characterizes Jewish children in the concentration camps as "very fat" and "well-fed", claims that Jews are "subhuman" (p. 583) "mortal enemies", and criticizes the Nazis for "not ridding Europe of Jewish Zionism". In the same book, he characterizes former UN secretary Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
as "cannibal" and "descendant of cannibals" and states that Jews need to be "rounded-up and executed within 24 hours", which is "the only way they understand" (p. 742). However, Plevris contends that "Of the 1,400 pages of my large book, the condemnation encompasses only several paragraphs, of which portions were extracted, with the result that another meaning was given to the words and truth is distorted due to the alteration of phrases".
For this book Plevris was indicted by the Greek district attorney on charges of inciting racial violence. Shortly after its publication the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece and the Greek Helsinki Monitor brought a suit against Plevris for "insulting Jews" and "injury to Judaism". They also brought charges against the newspaper Eleftheros Kosmos
Eleftheros Kosmos
Eleutheros Kosmos is a Greek weekly nationalist newspaper, owned by Dimitrios Zaphiropoulos, which was founded in 2003 as an "independent national newspaper"...
, which published extracts of the book. In December 2006, Plevris was indicted for violation of Article 191 of the Penal Code, the dissemination of false news. Several weeks later Eleftheros Kosmos and Plevris learned that they were being taken to court under the Greek Anti-Racist Law of 1979. Both Plevris and Eleftheros Kosmos characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to suppress free speech. According to Plevris, this lawsuit had no legal basis as it is a "violation of articles 320, 321 (paragraph 1), and 111 (paragraph 7) of the Greek Penal Code".
The first hearing, which was set for 5 September 2007, was postponed until 11 September 2007. The trial began on 11 September 2007 but, due to time constraints, it was again postponed, this time to 3 December 2007.
On the first court date, 150 supporters, mainly from neo-Nazi and nationalist groups, attended to show moral support for Plevris and Eleftheros Kosmos
Eleftheros Kosmos
Eleutheros Kosmos is a Greek weekly nationalist newspaper, owned by Dimitrios Zaphiropoulos, which was founded in 2003 as an "independent national newspaper"...
and over 200 police officers were stationed in the area out of fear that there would be clashes. However, the planned anti-fascist gathering never materialized and there were no incidents. During his trial, the following appeared to support Plevris : Christos Pasalaris and Kostas Kolmer (in addition both were also there as witnesses for the defense), Popular Orthodox Rally candidate Antonis Naxakis, Maria Tzanni, Spiros Zournatzis, Giorgos Shoinas, Giorgos Palmos (author of various pseudohistorical
Pseudohistory
Pseudohistory is a pejorative term applied to a type of historical revisionism, often involving sensational claims whose acceptance would require rewriting a significant amount of commonly accepted history, and based on methods that depart from standard historiographical conventions.Cryptohistory...
books whose topics are usually conspiracy theories), Dr. Basilis Protopappas, Popular Orthodox Rally candidates Giannis Sirros and Giannis Tsilimigras, Maria Douraki who was accompanied by four Old Calendarist
Greek Old Calendarists
Greek Old Calendarists are groups that separated from the Orthodox Church of Greece or from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, precipitated by disagreement over the abandonment of the traditional Julian Calendar.- History :Up until the early 20th century, the Eastern Orthodox Church used the...
clerics, Giorgos Loentaritis, Popular Orthodox Rally member Panagiotis Doumas, Vasilis Misiris.
On December 13, 2007 the court found Plevris guilty of inciting racial hatred and handed him a 14-month suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
. His co-accused, the publisher, editor and a journalist of Eleftheros Kosmos
Eleftheros Kosmos
Eleutheros Kosmos is a Greek weekly nationalist newspaper, owned by Dimitrios Zaphiropoulos, which was founded in 2003 as an "independent national newspaper"...
were found not guilty. Plevris condemned the verdict, stating that "Jews are trying to fight me with this trial so they can shut my mouth".
Plevris appealed and was eventually acquitted on 27 March 2009; his acquittal caused international reactions that were very unfavorable towards the Greek judicial system, as the Greek justice system failed to enforce Greece's antiracist legislation.
Counter-lawsuit over "Jews: The Whole Truth"
In response to publications of Eleftherotypia's "Ios" which depicts "Jews: The Whole Truth" as a "Fascistic and anti-Semitic" book and Plevris as a "Fascist", Plevris launched a SLAPPStrategic lawsuit against public participation
A strategic lawsuit against public participation is a lawsuit that is intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition....
-type libel suit against the newspaper for the sum of €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
1.2 million. All four journalists of "Ios" (Dimitris Trimis, Tasos Kostopoulos, Aggeliki Psarra, and Dimitris Psarras), editor-in-chief Serafeim Fintanidis, and the paper's published, were sued for €200,000 euros each. The official court date has not yet been set. Plevris also sued Panagiotis Dimitras of the Greek Helsinki Monitor for the sum of €200,000 as compensation for libel. The court date was set for 7 February 2008. In addition, Plevris counter-sued all seven executive members of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece for €200,000 each. The court date was set for 24 January 2008.
As a result of the entire affair, Plevris wrote a book entitled The Struggle for the Truth: The Adventure of a Book, which claimed to detail the events, controversy, and circumstances of the last 15 months of the affair.
Works
- Ο ΑΓΩΝ ΔΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑΝ – Η ΠΕΡΙΠΕΤΕΙΑ ΕΝΟΣ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΥ ("The Struggle for the truth - the adventure of a book"). Athens: Ηλεκτρον, 2007.
- Η ΤΗΛΕΟΡΑΣΙΣ ("The television"). Athens: Ηλεκτρον, 2007.
- Εβραίοι, όλη η Αλήθεια ("Jews, all the truth"). Athens: Ηλεκτρον, 2006.
- Η ΕΠΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΙΣ ("The revolution"). Athens: Ηλεκτρον, 2006.
- ΟΙ ΚΙΝΑΙΔΟΙ (*The gay people*). Athens: Ηλεκτρον, 2005.
- 21 Απριλιου 1967 ("21 April 1967", referring to 21 April 1967 in Greek politics). Athens: Ηλεκτρον, 2003.
- Αγια Σοφια: Εθνικόν Χρέος των Ελλήνων η Απελευθέρωσίς Της (Agia Sofia: National duty of the Greeks its liberation"). Athens: Νεα Θεσις, 1997.
- Βασιλεια. Athens: Ηλεκτρον, 2004.
- Ο Αξιωματικος και οι Νεοραγιαδες ("The Officer and the Neo-serfs"). Athens: Νεα Θεσις, 2002.
- Ο Διωγμος των Αριστων. Athens: Νεα Θεσις, 1987.
- Η Σημαια ("The flag"). Athens: Ηλεκτρον, 2004.
- θρησκευμα και Ταυτοτης: Πλήρης και στοιχειοθετημένη ανάλυσις του ζητήματος, δια την αναγραφήν του θρησκεύματος εις τας ταυτότητας ("Religion and identity: Complete and fact-supported analysis of the issue, for the inclusion of religion in the identities", referring to the new Greek national identity cards which replaced the old national identity cards of Greece which included the religion of the cardholder in its data). Athens: Ηλεκτρον, 2004.
- Ο Λαος Ξεχνα τι Σημαινει Αριστερα: κείμενα και φωτογραφίαι ("The people forget what leftism means: texts and photographs"). Athens: Ηλεκτρον, 2003.
- Κοινωνιολογία ("Sociology"). Athens: Νεα Θεσις, 1985.
- Η θητεία μου στην Κ.Υ.Π(Κρατική Υπηρεσία Πληροφορίων)("dosilogy").Athens:Νεα Θεσις, 1989
- Ο Καπιταλιστής: Ένα συνοπτικό σημείωμα για τον εκμεταλλευτή των ανθρώπων ("The Capitalist: A summary note for the exploiter of the humans"). Athens: Νεα Θεσις, 1989.
- Πας Μη Ελλην Βαρβαρος: Εννοιολογική παρουσίασις του δηλωτικου της Ελληνικης υπεροχης. Athens: Ηλεκτρον, 2003.
- Ιωαννης Μεταξας (Βιογραφία) ("Ioannis Metaxas (Biography)", referring to Ioannis MetaxasIoannis MetaxasIoannis Metaxas was a Greek general, politician, and dictator, serving as Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941...
). Athens: Κοκκινη Μηλια, 1975. - Τα Εικοσι Πρωτοκολλα της Προδοσιας ("The twenty protocols of the treason"). Athens: Νεα Θεσις, 1995.
- Ας Μιλησουμε Για Εβραιους! ("Let us talk about Jews!") Athens: Νεα Θεσις, 1990.
- Αντιδημοκράτης ("Antidemocrat"). 1965.
- Μετακομμουνισμός ("Metacommunism"). 1967.
- Πολιτική Προπαγάνδα ("Political propaganda"). 1968.
- Κοσμοθεωρία του Εθνικισμου. 1969