Manolis Glezos

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Manolis Glezos
Μανώλης Γλέζος
Manolis Glezos giving a speech in Omonoia Square, Athens in 2015.
Member of the European Parliament for Greece
In office 1 July 2014 – 8 July 2015 (resigned)
Succeeded by	Nikolaos Chountis
In office 24 July 1984 – 25 January 1985 (resigned)
Succeeded by	Spiridon Kolokotronis
Member of the Hellenic Parliament for National list
In office 6 May 2012 – 2 May 2014 (resigned)
Member of the Hellenic Parliament for Piraeus B
In office 17 June 1985 – 31 December 1986 (resigned)
Member of the Hellenic Parliament for Athens A
In office 18 October 1981 – 7 May 1985
In office 9 September 1951 – 16 November 1952
President of United Democratic Left
In office 25 January 1985 – 1989
Preceded by	Ilias Iliou
Succeeded by	Andreas Lentakis
General Secretary of United Democratic Left
In office 1981 – 25 January 1985
Succeeded by	Theodoros Katrivanos
President of the Community of Apeiranthos
In office 1 January 1987 – 31 December 1990
Prefectural Councillor of Athens-Piraeus super-prefecture
In office 1 January 2003 – 31 December 2006
Municipal Councilor of the Municipality of Paros
In office 1 January 2011 – 6 May 2012 (resigned)
Personal details
Born	(1922-09-09)9 September 1922 Apiranthos, Naxos, Greece
Died	30 March 2020(2020-03-30) (aged 97) Athens, Greece
Resting place	First Cemetery of Athens
Political party	Popular Unity (2015–2020) Syriza (2012–2015) Synaspismos (1991–2012) PASOK (1981–1989) United Democratic Left (1974–1989) Communist Party of Greece (1941–1968)
Spouses	Anastasia Kouka ​ ​ (m. 1947; died 1980)​ Georgia Argyrou ​ (m. 1986)​
Children	2

Manolis Glezos (Greek: Μανώλης Γλέζος; 9 September 1922 – 30 March 2020^[1]) was a Greek left-wing politician, journalist, author, and folk hero, best known for his participation in the World War II resistance.

In Greece, he is best remembered for taking down the Flag of Nazi Germany from the Acropolis during the Axis occupation of Greece, along with Lakis Santas. After the end of the Occupation, his left-wing political beliefs and activism led to him being sentenced to death thrice; his imprisonments and legal troubles were often the topic of international interest, until his permanent release in 1971.

Since the restoration of democracy in 1974, he had been active as a politician, becoming a Member of the Greek Parliament for various left-wing parties over the years. In 2014, at the age of 91, he became a Member of the European Parliament for a second time in his life, for Syriza, making him the oldest-ever member of the European Parliament.^[2] He was also the most voted-for candidate in Greece.

Glezos was an award-winning journalist, and worked as head-editor and editor for the left-wing newspapers Rizospastis and I Avgi, which are popular to this day; he also published six books.