Posted on 01/30/2015 5:07:13 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Now that Greece has elected a new prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, he’s announced his first order of business: receive the money owed to them from Germany in part of unpaid World War II reparations, reported The Washington Post.
Tsipras is part of the Greek left-wing Syriza party, and, according to the Post, the Syriza party has been “outspoken about the need for Germany to atone for its past in Greece.” In a move symbolic of that sentiment, Tsipras visited the Kaisariani rifle range to honor 200 Greek activists who were murdered by Nazi soldiers in 1944.
A two-year-old study estimated that Germany still owes Greece $200 billion “for damages incurred during the Nazi occupation” including the cost of rebuilding the country’s infrastructure. However, later studies have estimated a much higher amount. Another Greek reparation advocacy group estimated that Germany owes Greece $667 billion.
Some German public officials are actually on board with Greece getting their full reparations. “From a moral point of view, Germany ought to pay off these old compensations and the ‘war loan’ that they got during the Occupation,” said Gabriele Zimmer of the German socialist party Die Linke.
Nazi occupation led to the starvation of 300,000 during World War II, as well as other mass killings of Greek citizens during that time. For these atrocities and extensive damage done to the country’s infrastructure, Greek rightfully seeks out full repayment.
Greece’s economy has been in utter shambles, with the unemployment rate reaching as high as 27 percent. We realize that the Germany of today isn’t what it was during Hitler’s rule; the country sees the Nazi movement as a dark blemish on its history. But Germany did agree to a deal, and it must honor its deal.
You could give them ten times that and they would just blow through it. Their system is unsustainable. As is ours.
The same Germany that bailed Greece out?
They should ask for reparations from the Persians.
“Dude, that was like two years ago.”
Pay in Nazi currency (and our own reparations in Confederate money).
Reparations for slavery!
Last time the allies pulled a stunt like this after WWI, The Germans elected Hitler and WWII happened. Be very careful here!
Reparations for those who were alive during the actual transgressions? What a novel idea.
lol. as if they are going to pay that!
Greece has been in a lot of wars. I bet some Germans could name family that were attacked. This is just socialist Greece looking for cash since they ran out of money.
Did Germany agree to such a deal, and was the agreement un-coerced?
Hey, don’t knock Nazi coin! Third Reich 5-Mark pieces are all over the internet, 900 fine silver, not that expensive since there are so many out there. Lots from Eastern Europe.
Dad brought back a bunch from WWII. Polished up bright, I had assumed they were ersatz alloy like the West German stuff I used to carry over there.
Heck, these ought to be circulating in Russia since their paper ruble is worthless (whatever became of Imperial silver rubles?)
Silver coinage works when nothing else will. The Japs conquered the Philippines but their occupation scrip became worthless since millions of Philippine silver pesos were still reappearing & circulating.
Anyway, good luck to the Greeks with reparations.
The Romans conquered Greece in 146 B.C. What about all the stuff they stole?
Maybe RFK Jr. is back on the smack? Sounds like junkie ranting.
Ditto.
Greece isn't broke because of what the Nazis did 70 years ago. They are broke because of what their very own Socialist politicians have done to them since then. If you want to pay for votes, you will eventually go broke.
The US is on that exact same tract.
WTF?
Imagine what Germany would owe Poland if the Poles took the same approach.
I find out years ago that when you sell those coins, you’re offered little more than melt. When I was younger the silver ones with Hindenburg’s head were going for $5 each.
Don’t pay them with the silver; pay them with the Nazi paper. I have some to sell them as well.
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