May 20th, 2005, 64th anniversary of the start of the "Battle of Crete" or "Operation Mercurius", a group of German Veterans and their next of kind wanted to remember their family members and comrades, killed in action on Crete, and hold a small remembrance ceremony on the German War Cemetery at Maleme.

As an eye-witness reported to us, an assembly of 60 vigorous people, amongst the 30 from the left-wing and "antifaschistic" scene in Germany block the approach-road with stones, to prevent the ceremony.
As soon as the veterans, who had overcome the obstacle, were about to start their commemoration the incited crowd stormed the cemetery-compound, armed with bars, colour-bags and streamers and shouting slogans.
Police, posted at the entrance, sparkled with inactivity and wasn´t able or didn´t want to interfere!!!
The elder veterans and their next of kind weren´t able to continue their ceremony, hampered by the shouting and by attacks with the colour-bags, they stopped it to prevent the worse. There is no official evidence for rumors that the demonstrators also threatened to devastate the cemetery.
This disrespectful act fulfilled different punishable offences according to German law, e.g. "disturbance of the silence of grave" (§ 168 StGB). As the cemetery at least by the colour-bags will have taken damage, the owner "Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge" hopefully will take legal action to ensure this demonstration will not become exemplary.

"You can define the character of a nation by the way it deals with its soldiers after a lost war" 
(Perikles, Greek statesman and philosopher and Charles de Gaulle, French President )

„Glück ab“

Germany, May  2005

( This page will be kept up-to-date as the situation changes )