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Extremist Orthodox movements (Greece)

Last modified: 2024-12-28 by martin karner
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"Orthodoxy or Death" flags

[Flag] image by Thanos Tzikas, 5 July 2003

During their protests, extreme fanatic Orthodox used a black flag with a white cross and a white motto, in a Byzantine-like font, saying "Orthodoxy or Death". The motto is probably taken from the Greek patriots' motto, "Freedom or Death".
Thanos Tzikas/Tomislav Todorovic, 25 August 2016

[Flag] image by Tomislav Todorovic, 26 October 2013

A similar flag, charged with a simple cross and the inscription "Orthodoxy Or Death" in a modern simple typeface (most likely, Arial or Helvetica), inscribed completely at the top, is used by the Esphigmenou monastery in Mount Athos (photo, 2011), hoisted on a tower along with the "Byzantine" flag used by the Greek Orthodox Church and the plain cross flag of Greece.
The same flag was used at a nationalist gathering at Larissa in February 2011 (photo.
The bottom inscription Ι. Μ. Εσφιγμένου refers to the monastery of Esphigmenou , Ι. Μ. standing for Ιερά Μονή (Holy Monastery). This is what denotes the flag as being used by the Orthodox extremists, as the said monastery is one of centers of the Orthodox extremism in Greece, and the photo was showing a monk, probably from Esphigmenou, as the speaker at the pulpit.
The inscription is not quite correct, as the accent in the second word should actually be placed before the uppercase Η, not after it, but this is how the flag really looked.
Tomislav Todorovic, 25 August 2016


"Byzantine war flag"

[Flag] image by Tomislav Todorovic/António Martins

Another flag used at the same event was a variant of the "Byzantine" flag used by the Greek Orthodox Church, but with the red field instead of gold. This flag is currently being sold by Lonhi, the online shop of Golden Dawn party, as the "Byzantine war flag" (image), and is frequently used by the party itself, usually together with the "standard" flag with golden field (photo, photo).
Tomislav Todorovic, 26 October 2013