Free Republic

Mikis Theodorakis, the renowned Greek composer and Marxist firebrand who waged a war of words and music against an infamous military junta that imprisoned and exiled him as a revolutionary and banned his work a half century ago, died on Thursday at his home in central Athens. He was 96. The cause was cardiopulmonary arrest, according to a statement on his website. His family said in a statement read on Greek state television that his body would lie in state, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared three days of national mourning. Mr. Theodorakis was best known internationally for his scores...

Weisenthal Center demands Theodorakis be stripped of International Music Prize; composer: "US Jews behind Greek economic crisis." Mikis Theodorakis, best known for composing the musical score to the film Zorba the Greek, recently declared on Greek television that he was “anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.” “Everything that happens today in the world has to do with the Zionists,” was one such comment. Another was “American Jews are behind the world economic crisis that has hit Greece also.” Theodorakis also blasted Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou for establishing closer relations with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who was guilty, he said, of “war crimes...

Everything that's great and everything that's frightening about the Internet can be summed up in a single word. Zaba. That's Zaba as in ZabaSearch.com, a so-called people search site that allows you to quickly track down the whereabouts of just about anyone, free of charge. There are already numerous people search resources online, varying widely in reliability and fees. (There's also an interesting story about the people behind ZabaSearch and the notorious mass suicide in Southern California involving the Heaven's Gate cult. But we'll get back to that.) What makes ZabaSearch great is that, at no cost, it quickly and...

<p>Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis has followed up with a written statement on his "root of evil" remarks.</p> <p>My opinion of the Israeli people, as on all things, has always been known and I am frankly at a loss as to why such a great commotion was made this time, as if it was heard for the first time. Maybe some people judged this to be the right time to launch an attack on me.</p>

Musician, poet, pro-democracy warrior, custodian of Greek culture. And now hatemonger. Is this a fitting fate for Mikis Theodorakis? We hope not. An occasional visitor to this city - and recipient of an honourary degree from the Université de Montréal - Theodorakis is held in great esteem by many Canadians, especially those of Greek descent. He is loved as the composer of the music to the film Zorba the Greek and admired for the stance he took in the 1970s against the fascists who had seized power in his homeland. Alas, Theodorakis has a problem with Israel, the only democracy...

Greek Jewish leaders denounce remarks by "Zorba" composer Theodorakis ATHENS (AFP) - Greek Jewish leaders came down on one of the country's best-loved composers, Mikis Theodorakis of "Zorba the Greek" fame, for calling Jews the "root of evil", and reproached government ministers for failing to react. Theodorakis "repeated in the 21st century opinions from the darkest Middle Ages and slogans used by Nazi Germany, fanning both inside and outside the country the winds of intolerance and racism," the Central Jewish Council of Greece charged in a statement. The composer was flanked by Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos and Education Minister Petros...