Intifada-related article removed from Greek textbooks under pressure from Jewish lobby
Move ‘unbelievable political disgrace’ says author Petros Papakonstantinou
ATHENS
An article on the 1987 Palestinian intifada was removed from junior high schools in Greece under pressure from a major Jewish lobby, media reports said Wednesday.
“A generation whose smile was stolen,” by well-known author and journalist Petros Papakonstantinou, was removed from modern Greek language textbooks as a result of pressure from Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS), said the Greece-based Independent Balkan News Agency.
It said Deputy Education Minister Konstantinos Vlasis defended the decision, citing “balance” and “neutrality.”
The article violated the Convention on the Rights of the Child because it “depicted children with weapons” and used the adjective “Jewish” in a way that generalized responsibility, he argued.
Those arguments did not convince critics, including Papakonstantinou, who called it an “unbelievable political disgrace.”
He urged the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (ESHEA) and Greek media to take a stand, and questioned whether the Greek government is acting as a national or Israeli government, the news agency noted.
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