Does Greece's former king deserve a state funeral?
Greece's last king, Constantine II, passed away on Tuesday aged 82. There will be no state funeral, however. In 1967 Constantine decided to tolerate the military government that had usurped power. In a series of referendums in 1973 and 1974 the Greeks voted to abolish the monarchy. Commentators disagree over how Constantine's passing should be commemorated.
Democracy must not be afraid
News website Protagon sees the decision not to hold a state funeral as wrong:
“Such an honour is bestowed not on the person, but on the office. And whether we like it or not, the last king of the Greeks became head of state legally and in accordance with the constitutional order. A funeral held at public expense would remind everyone that democracy is not afraid and honours historical memory. ... We all know that the government's decision was born out of fearful instincts.”
He did nothing but harm
The website In.gr, by contrast, does not want to sugarcoat Constantine's memory:
“We will not forget the damage he did to our country. ... Accepting the result of the 1974 referendum was perhaps the only good thing he did. No, we will never forget the former King Constantine, who lived lavishly on the backs of the Greek people with a fortune to which he was not entitled [the royal assets were initially nationalised after the abolition of the monarchy, but partially restored later on]. ... No, royal families are about more than just glamour, horse-drawn carriages, royal weddings and funerals like we see in Britain. They also stand for darkness and dirty deals at the expense of the people and democracy.”