ITALY: GREEK CAPTAIN AND OFFICERS OF DESTROYER VELOS ARRIVE IN ITALY AND ARE GRANTED ASYLUM AFTER MUTINEERING.

Record ID: 230479

  • Title: ITALY: GREEK CAPTAIN AND OFFICERS OF DESTROYER VELOS ARRIVE IN ITALY AND ARE GRANTED ASYLUM AFTER MUTINEERING.
  • Date: 27th May 1973
  • Summary: 1. GV & SV Police watch as Greek sailors disembark at port (4 shots) 0.30 2. CU PAN Sailors take luggage and enter police vans 0.48 3. GV PAN Police vans drive off 0.58 4. MV Sailors luggage arriving at police headquarters 1.05 5. MV Officers and crew entering police headquarters surrounded by press (2 shots) 1.25 6. MV Captain enters police headquarters and speaks to press (2 shots) 1.49 GREEK OFFICERS AND MEN DISEMBARKING AT PORT: TAKE LUGGAGE TO WAITING POLICE VANS: VANS DERIVE OFF: LUGGAGE AND GREEKS ARRIVE AT ROME POLICE STATION: CAPTAIN ENTERS AND SPEAKS TO PRESS. Initials BB/0110 CG/AH/BB/0127 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 11th June 1973 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: FIUMICINO & ROME, ITALY
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVAYMX2JZKQ98PO9QD4CPK9M72Y
  • Story Text: Thirty-one officers and men of the Greek Naval destroyer "Velos", who mutinied against the Greek military government, have been granted political asylum by Italy.

    The officers landed at a small fishing port of Fiumicino, west of Roma, and were escorted to a police barracks near the harbour. From there they were driven to Rome to complete residence formalities at the central police station.

    The captain, Nicholas Pappas, said their decision to break away from a NATO naval exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean on Thursday (May 24) was to demonstrate to the free world "that the dictatorship established in Greece is not made by the armed forces", but by what he called some self-interested officers.

    He said the decision was taken after the Greek authorities announced they had crushed an attempted mutiny by two royalist retired Vice-Admirals.

    Some 270 men were reported to have been aboard the Velos, and although only a small number followed the Captain ashore, many of the crew are believed to have supported the mutiny.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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