Navy cadets from the non-commissioned officers’ school march in downtown Athens on Greece’s Independence Day military parade. They shout insulting slogans against Turkey, create a diplomatic spat with the neighboring country and divide the Greek society.
“Cyprus is Greek! F*ck Turkey!” they shout in front of a cheering and applauding crowd that includes families with young children. Someone shouts “Bravo!”
The video goes viral on social media not only in Greece but also in Turkey.
This footage of the Greek army chanting “Fuck Turkey” and “Cyprus is Greek” is going viral on Turkish Twitter.
First time seeing such thing and unfortunately a friend says this is pretty common? pic.twitter.com/yyJq71tbPt
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) March 25, 2025
Later on Tuesday, the leadership of the Defense Ministry ordered an internal investigation. On Wednesday, the Navy General Staff has ordered a sworn administrative examination to investigate the circumstances and causes, assign responsibilities and exercise appropriate disciplinary control for the slogans.
Turkey demanded an explanation for the incident with Foreign Ministry sources saying “cheeky slogans that undermine good relationships between the two countries.”
“Power is not captured by slogans,” government sources in Athens have reportedly commented on the cadets’ slogans.
Despite the reactions by the official Greek side, ruling New Democracy MP and former minister Thanos Plevris appeared outside the government line and within a far-right rhetoric completely justifying the insulting slogans.
“We want sailors like this, not those who say ‘my little pony’,” Plevris told Skai TV on Wednesday morning.
Saying that he agrees with the “spirit” he stressed that “in combat training, we are preparing people to die for their homeland. There are such slogans that are said during training. I used to say them when I was serving in the Special Forces, we used to talk about the Constantinople and Hagia Sophia.”
Nationalist parties have supported the cadets, while progressive expressed their objection saying “such slogans are outdated.”
