The U.S. Embassy to Greece has reacted against the decision of Greece’s National Theater to stage a play that includes excerpts of a book by jailed terrorist Savvas Xeros.
The play “The Nash Equilibrium” staged at the Experimental Stage of the National Theater, which is sponsored by the state, is using passages from the book “That Day – 1,560 Days in Intensive Care”, written by terrorist Savvas Xeros. The “November 17” urban guerrila is in prison, serving a five-time life sentence.
The U.S. Embassy wrote the following on twitter, citing a statement issued by the group “Os Edo”, formed by relatives of the “17 November” victims.
While art should not be censored, we join “Os Edo” in questioning if the public should fund the art of a terrorist. pic.twitter.com/FmQFdFiScq
— U.S. Embassy Athens (@USEmbassyAthens) January 26, 2016
Victims group questions use of public funds to stage National Theater play based in part on book by Nov 17 terrorist https://t.co/nFnP1TeZSi
— David D. Pearce (@daviddpearce) January 26, 2016
The statement issued by the Terrorism Victims’ Relatives Group “Os Edo” says that the play tries to make a “serial killer” look human, purify him and make him look like a hero, making him “the epicenter of a value system analysis.”
The play is a part of a continuous effort, the statement continues, to make Xeros look innocent and finally “free him from prison and free him from the murderer stigma”. It is a method to idolize a killer of innocent people, like the methods Nazis and Stalinists used.
“We are tired to defend the obvious right to life, right to democracy,” the statement further reads… We are tired to see a bunch of well-paid killers to look like heroes.”
The play, written and directed by Pigi Dimitrakopoulou, also borrows from the Albert Camus play “The Just”. It purportedly deals with moral codes, justice, taking the law into one’s hands and terrorism, according to the press release.
After the outcry, the National Theater issued a statement saying, inter alia, that “Justice has tried and convicted the criminals – terrorists. Theater as an art, does not intend to try them again, but to highlight key human problems. It is a public debate room. The Experimental Theater, as a place of research of young artists, must grapple with dangerous issues, even if it stands on the razor’s edge.”
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