No Filter
By Eleftheria Tiliakou
Our children’s safety comes first. I also believe that cancelling a parade because of dangerous weather should prompt a serious effort to find another date. Reading the decision affecting the 28 October parades in Kalymnos and across the Dodecanese, my question is straightforward: Why not explore holding them on Sunday, provided official forecasts and the responsible authorities confirm that conditions are safe?
The decision by Christos Efstratiou, Deputy Regional Governor for the Dodecanese and Civil Protection, covers schoolchildren, associations, organisations and clubs. It cites a serious risk of dangerous weather and the activation of a “Red Code” civil protection alert. In Rhodes town, only the military parade is scheduled to proceed.
The reasons for taking protective action are clear. The disruption and disappointment caused by the cancellation also deserve to be heard.
For a child preparing to march, a family looking forward to watching, or an association organising its participation, this occasion carries particular meaning. Behind each contingent are anticipation, preparation and the desire to take part in something beyond everyday life.
Here in Kalymnos and the Dodecanese, Oxi Day has a deep significance. The anniversary commemorates Greece’s rejection of an Italian ultimatum on 28 October 1940. For those of us living in the Aegean, geography, history and the experience of recent Turkish aggressions also shape how we feel about this day. I see the parade as a public expression of remembrance, national pride and confidence in our islands.
The “Oxi”—the “No”—we honour carries the values of dignity, freedom and resistance to coercion. The wish to express those values together remains strong, even when the weather forces a change of plans.
That is why I believe the authorities should examine the possibility of rescheduling the parade. Sunday is a proposal to assess against official weather information, safety requirements and the practical coordination of municipalities, schools and participating associations. The public deserves a clear answer about whether it can happen and under what conditions.
Moving the parade by a few days would preserve the anniversary’s meaning while giving the community an opportunity to celebrate safely.
Let us have another date. Our islands’ “Oxi” deserves to be heard, even a few days later.
