On this day in history:Corfu 2 November
resistance
02 Nov 2018
/ 08:32
1941: Act of resistance from secondary school pupils.
2 November 1941: Secondary school pupils carried out the first act of resistance in Corfu on the 'First Sunday' St. Spyridon celebration.
When the service was over all the pupils proceeded in groups from the Ionian Bank Square towards Pentofanero to return to their school. Led by the older boys, - they started to sing a resistance song. One of them started waving a Greek flag.
Nobody said or did anything to the pupils on their way to the school but the Italian authorities found out. When they reached Kantouni Square it started to rain and in front of the school the Carabinieri arrived and charged into the group of young demonstrators, including the gym teacher N. Kastanias (who later became a member of the National Liberation Front - EAM).
Amidst all the confusion several of the pupils went into the school, took down the Italian flag and threw it onto the road. The Carabinieri tried to use their weapons but couldn't due to the resistance from the boys. In the downpour the pupils rushed away through the 'kantounia' (alleys) in Porta Remounda but some were caught (Manesis, Kardakis and others). The gym teacher was caught by the Carabinieri and paid for his resistance with a beating and imprisonment. Thanks to him, however, several pupils avoided arrest by the furious Carabinieri.
When the service was over all the pupils proceeded in groups from the Ionian Bank Square towards Pentofanero to return to their school. Led by the older boys, - they started to sing a resistance song. One of them started waving a Greek flag.
Nobody said or did anything to the pupils on their way to the school but the Italian authorities found out. When they reached Kantouni Square it started to rain and in front of the school the Carabinieri arrived and charged into the group of young demonstrators, including the gym teacher N. Kastanias (who later became a member of the National Liberation Front - EAM).
Amidst all the confusion several of the pupils went into the school, took down the Italian flag and threw it onto the road. The Carabinieri tried to use their weapons but couldn't due to the resistance from the boys. In the downpour the pupils rushed away through the 'kantounia' (alleys) in Porta Remounda but some were caught (Manesis, Kardakis and others). The gym teacher was caught by the Carabinieri and paid for his resistance with a beating and imprisonment. Thanks to him, however, several pupils avoided arrest by the furious Carabinieri.
