Anti-royalists threaten Greek queen’s funeral

Press, 13 February 1981, Page 7

Anti-royalists threaten Greek queen’s funeral

NZPA-Reuter ; Athens The body of former Queen Frederika of Greece will be flown to Athens for burial today amid strict security measures to prevent any demonstrations by royalists or anti-monarchists. A special plane, also carrying her son, Constantine, the former King of Greece, and his family, will land at a military airstrip a few hundred metres from the summer royal palace of Tatoi, north of Athens. More than 4000 policemen Were on a state of alert to prevent the approach of royalists who arrived in Athens from the provinces on specially hired buses.

Several thousand antimonarchist Left-wing students staged a mass rally in Athens yesterday to protest against the Government’s decision to allow the funeral of the former Queen, who died in Madrid last week. Two bombs were exploded in Central Athens on Wednesday in protest over the decision to let her be buried in Greece. The Government, fearing further demonstrations, has restricted the former royal family’s stay to one day. Among those to attend the funeral will be. King Juan. Carlos of Spain, son-in-law of Queen Frederika, and his wife. Sophia. The Duke of Edinburgh is expected to

arrive on board a private plane. The Greek Prime Minister (Mr George Rallis) and his Foreign Minister (Mr Constantine Mitsotakis) will greet the mourners at the airstrip but will not attend the funeral. In a statement in London yesterday, the former King Constantine condemned what h*. called politcal exploitation of his mother’s funeral, saying the restrictions added bitterness to grief. The former King lost his throne in a referendum in 1974 after seven years in exile following his abortive coup d’etat to topple Greece’s military rulers.