Koksares commemorates 82nd anniversary of Nazi Holocaust

Residents and officials gathered in Koksares on August 29 to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the village's Holocaust by Nazi occupation forces. The ceremony took place at the Monument to the Fallen in the village square, attended by local authorities, security forces, and cultural representatives.

The event honored both the victims of the destruction and the village's history as a stronghold of the National Resistance. Deputy Mayor of Culture Evangelia Glampedaki noted that the village's resistance began with the first armed clash with German forces in Rethymno in October 1941.

A significant moment of the ceremony included testimony from Emmanouil Mathioudais, former president of ESEHEA, regarding the February 1944 blockade. He recounted how German forces conducted operations and arrests in the village following intelligence regarding the presence of EAM members, affecting women, the village priest, and residents including himself when he was nine years old.