Greece's government launched an official investigation on Monday into the reasons why Amir, an 11-year-old refugee student from Afghanistan, did not get to carry the Greek flag during the school's annual parade as part of the celebrations for Ochi Day on October 28. This was despite him having been selected via a draw.
Amir, a fifth-year primary school pupil living in the central Athens suburb of Dafni, was selected in a draw as part of a new process brought in by the leftist government Syriza to replace the old method of selecting pupils as flagbearers based on academic merit.But instead of carrying his school's flag during the parade, Amir carried a sign displaying the name of his school with another boy given the honor of carrying the flag. Minister of Education launches investigation
"The result of a draw for the flag-bearer of the 6th Primary School of Dafni was not realized and the issue is now being fully examined under the relevant institutional processes; there will be a new announcement soon," said a statement from the Ministry of Education."The State guarantees equal treatment for all students. We congratulate all the teachers and students nationwide who honored the national celebration of October 28," the statement concluded.The annual parade, which commemorates the October 28, 1940 anniversary of Greece's decision to refuse to become an ally of the Axis powers in World War II, known as "Ochi Day", takes place in all schools nationwide.
Amir rejects school principal's accusations
A storm ensued on social media when local journalists realized that Amir was not the flag-bearer, with the school's principal claiming the reason was that Amir had refused to enter a Christian church with the flag. Amir denied the claim and the government announced that they are investigating the circumstances of the incident. Speaking to national TV channel ERT, Giorgos Aggelopoulos, the Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, added: "We will rigorously look into to the reasons why the decision has not been followed; the Ministry of Education is examining the incident and there will be a detailed announcement based on information received from the school unit and the Temporary Housing of Refugees for Asylum Seekers or Relocation from the City of Athens Municipality."
Boy has been living in Greece for a year and a half
Amir arrived in Greece one-and-a-half years ago after fleeing Afghanistan with his mother and two brothers. His father is currently waiting to be reunited with them in Germany.Before the parade he had commented: "I am very happy to be able to take part along with my classmates; I didn't even know that I was involved in the process, they just told me that my name came out. I am very happy that I will be part of it all." Parades took place around the country to mark Ochi Day, which commemorates when Greek leader Ioannis Metaxas rejected Mussolini's ultimatum, propelling Greece into World War II. However, the anniversary events were not without controversy as, as well as the incident incolving Amir, Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris refused to preside over the student parade or a display by the armed forces in the northern port city, saying that such displays "cultivate a military spirit, and do so in the wrong way".