The Marathon Peace March began in 1963, initiated by Grigoris Lambrakis (1912-1963), with the goal of advocating for World Peace and Disarmament. The march started in Marathon and covered a distance of 42 kilometers, concluding in the center of Athens.
In the 9mm film provided by Sophia Prevezanou, footage from the Peace March, which took place two years after Lambrakis’ assassination, is captured. In the initial frames, Manos Katrakis and Mikis Theodorakis can be seen at a young age. The connection between Cyprus and Vietnam dominated the slogans and banners of the march, as evident in the footage. One of the prominent (and prophetic) slogans was “Cyprus-Vietnam!” at 3:57 in the video. The estimated participation in the 1965 march was 500,000 individuals (ASKI, EDA Archive, 263.00063).
Digitalization (full frame scan) from 9mm: www.lagopatis.gr
