Matteotti Square – Ingliando

On this day, at about 1.00 a.m., a 22-year-old Greek student studying geology in Italy, Kostas Georgakis, set himself ablaze in Matteotti Square in Genoa. Earlier in the year, Georgakis had given an interview to a Genovese magazine, during which he revealed that the military junta’s intelligence service had infiltrated the Greek student movement in Italy. In the interview he denounced the junta and its policies and the dictatorial regime of Georgios Papadopoulos. Although the interview was anonymous, a copy was obtained by the Greek consulate and the identity of Georgakis was established. The junta retaliated by attacking him, pressuring his family, and rescinding his military exemption. Fearing for his family, Georgakis decided to sacrifice his life by setting fire to himself. He died nine hours later at around midday the same day. His last words were: “Long Live Free Greece”. After being briefly interred in Genoa his remains were transported by ship to his home town in Corfu, and on 18 January 1971 he was buried.