Remembering disarmament hero Grigoris Lambrakis, MD May 20, 2021

Physician Grigoris Lambrakis (1912-1963) was a champion athlete who worked to free Greece from Nazi occupation during WWII, served on the medical faculty at University of Athens, and was a leader in the international movement opposing nuclear weapons. His protests against the secret U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal near Athens culminated in his assassination, May 27, 1963. His life inspired the novel “Z” by Vassilis Vassilikos and 1969 film “Z”, directed by Costa-Gavras. “Z” was a popular Greek protest slogan, translated as “he lives.” Lambrakis is commemorated on May 27 every year in peace demonstrations from Marathon to Athens.