Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis marked the 34th anniversary of the murder of student Thanos Axarlian on Tuesday, July 14, with a Facebook post commemorating the 1992 assassination. Axarlian, a 20-year-old university student, was killed in central Athens on July 14, 1992, when a rocket — intended for then-New Democracy minister Ioannis Paleokrassas — struck a crowded pedestrian area.
‘Ghosts of Yesterday Trying to Return’
In his message, Mitsotakis drew parallels between that act of terrorism and more recent violent incidents, including the 2010 Marfin Bank arson attack and the 2023 gasoline bomb assault in Thessaloniki that killed activist Vagia Nestor. He described such acts as manifestations of ‘ghosts of yesterday’ attempting to re-emerge.
‘Thirty-four years ago, terrorism murdered student Thanos Axarlian. Today, the ghosts of yesterday are trying to return again,’ Mitsotakis wrote. ‘But democracy always defeats hatred and violence. We are not afraid!’
ND Reaffirms Commitment to Memory and Resilience
The governing New Democracy party also issued a statement honoring Axarlian’s memory. It recalled how the attack — carried out in broad daylight near Syntagma Square — claimed the life of an innocent bystander, whom the perpetrators callously dismissed as a ‘collateral casualty’.
‘This year’s anniversary comes at a moment that painfully reminds us of terrorism’s enduring impact on our country,’ the party said. ‘New Democracy honors the memory of Thanos Axarlian and all victims of terrorism. We do not forget. We are not afraid.’