[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4189-4190]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       COMMEMORATING THE 192ND ANNIVERSARY OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RUSH HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 20, 2013

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, today we mark the 192nd anniversary of Greece 
declaring its independence from the Ottoman Empire. After eight years, 
Greece was free again for the first time in nearly five centuries. As a 
former colonial people, we Americans instinctively have a sense of 
affinity for other peoples seeking to throw off the shackles of foreign 
rule. In the case of Greece, that feeling is particularly powerful 
because our very conceptions of democracy, self-government and citizen 
participation in the life of the nation come directly from ancient 
Greece.
  Today, the people of Greece are struggling with new and serious 
challenges, especially deep-seated economic problems that have not only 
rocked the economic foundations of the nation but have put Greek 
democracy itself at risk. The rise of the ``Golden Dawn'' movement is a 
reminder that anti-democratic forces in a society can emerge with 
frightening speed. I am encouraged that the overwhelming majority of 
Greeks have rejected the

[[Page 4190]]

fascist and racist ideology of ``Golden Dawn'', and America should 
continue to do all it can to help our Greek ally achieve a full and 
enduring economic recovery. The bonds of friendship between America and 
Greece are strong in no small part because of our common commitment to 
a core value of Western civilization: democracy. On this 192nd 
anniversary of the rebirth of Greek democracy, I wish the people of 
Greece and all Greek-Americans a happy independence day.

                          ____________________