The Spirit of Oxi
Winston Chuchill once famously praised the Greeks with the words, “We will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but heroes fight like Greeks.” But what exactly was the ‘Greek spirit’ he admired so deeply?
Every year on 28 October, Greek communities around the world celebrate Oxi Day, marking the moment in 1940 when Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas rejected an ultimatum from Mussolini. Delivered in the early hours of the morning, it gave Greece just three hours to respond. Metaxas is remembered as having answered with a single word, Oxi, meaning no, though the words recorded were in French, alors, c’est la guerre, then it is war. His refusal brought Greece into the war alongside the Allies and sparked a fierce resistance that pushed Italian forces back into Albania.
Oxi became more than a word. It came to represent a refusal to surrender, and a determination to defend freedom, whatever the cost. Each year, the Greek flag is raised in its honour, recalling those who fought and died and renewing a sense of pride, patriotism and unity. Churchill never forgot the courage he had witnessed. Speaking in the Commons in 1944, he described Britain’s losses in Greece as a chivalrous resolve to share her miseries when she was invaded. Perhaps this was the spirit he meant. Not simply the courage to fight, but the courage to say no.
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