On February 1, Sputnik Georgia published an article titled “Protests Flare across Greece against the Cooperation with the U.S. in Defense Sphere” (“В Греции вспыхнули протесты против оборонного сотрудничества с США”). The article mentions a cooperation agreement signed between Greece and the United States, which, according to Sputnik, sparkled protests in Athens and Thessaloniki. To illustrate this, a video titled “Greece in Fire” (“Греция в огне”) is attached to the article.
Sputnik-Georgia: “Protests shattered Greece on Friday evening. Thousands of people took to the streets to protest the military cooperation between Greece and the United States. Wide-scale anti-governmental protests took place in Athens and Thessaloniki.”
Sputnik showcases the recent developments in Greece in a manipulative way and, by describing the events acutely, creates a perception among the readers that Greeks are against the cooperation with the U.S. Neither the article, nor the video mention the fact that the protests were organized by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) that received only 5.55% of the votes in the last election.
Sputnik showcases the recent developments in Greece in a manipulative way and, by describing the events acutely, creates a perception among the readers that Greeks are against the cooperation with the U.S. Neither the article, nor the video mention the fact that the protests were organized by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) that received only 5.55% of the votes in the last election.
The Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) was signed between Greece and the U.S. in 1990 and was ratified in October 2019. The Agreement allows the United States to use Souda, Larissa, and Stefanovikeio military bases and the Port of Alexandroupolis.
The Communist Party of Greece is the main opponent of the ratification of the document. It mobilized its anti-U.S. and anti-NATO supporters in Athens and Thessaloniki. The Communist Party of Greece is a Marxist-Leninist organization that features hammer and sickle on its emblem. The Leader of the Party, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, in an interview with a Russian newspaper Pravda, celebrated a 100-year anniversary of the October Revolution, expressed solidarity with the Soviet Union, and expressed his opinion that the European Union and NATO are against Greek people.
As of July 19, 2019, there are a total of 9,962,261 registered voters in Greece. In the last two legislative elections (2015, 2019), the Communist Party’s rating remained nearly unchanged and did not surpass the 5.55% mark.
A total of 5,566,295 voters participated in the 2015 Greek legislative election, with the Communist Party of Greece receiving 5.55% of the votes, which earned it 15 mandates in the Hellenic Parliament.
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nfographic: electionguide.org
In 2019 Greek legislative election, a total of 5,769,542 Greeks took part, out of which 5.35% supported the Communist Party, once again earning the Party 15 mandates in the Parliament.
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nfographic: electionguide.org
Prepared by Guram Gudashvili
Regional Network of the Myth Detector Lab
