SR0497 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0497 LRB104 16102 LAW 29406 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The National Fascist Party, headed by Benito Mussolini, imposed totalitarian rule over Italy from 1922 to 1943; and

WHEREAS, Fascist Italy, in alliance with Nazi Germany, formed the Axis forces and sought to promote fascist and racist policies throughout Europe in the World War II era; and

WHEREAS, On October 28, 1940, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini delivered a 3 a.m. ultimatum to the Government of Greece, demanding they allow Axis forces to enter Greece or face war; and

WHEREAS, The Government of Greece answered the Axis forces' request for surrender with one word, "Oxi!" or "No!"; and

WHEREAS, Italian troops attacked the Greek border hours later, marking the beginning of Greece's involvement in World War II; and

WHEREAS, That same morning, thousands of Greek citizens took to the streets, chanting "Oxi!", in honor of the Government of Greece's refusal to relent to fascism; and

WHEREAS, After the world watched Axis forces overwhelm 15 countries in less than a year, Greece became the first to repel the Axis invasion, leading United States President Franklin Roosevelt to say, "When the entire world had lost all hope, the Greek people dared to question the invincibility of the German monster, raising against it in the proud spirit of freedom"; and

WHEREAS, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill observed of the Greek people's courageous actions, "Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks"; and

WHEREAS, Nazi forces had to delay their invasion of Russia to intervene in the Greco-Italian War to ensure the ultimate defeat of Greece and the Greek people's spirited resistance, and this delay caused the Nazi regime to face a brutal Russian winter that hindered their advance and ultimately led to their eventual defeat; and

WHEREAS, The Greek people's bravery changed the trajectory of the war, leading Hitler's Field Marshal and Chief of Staff Wilhelm Keitel to say, "The Greeks delayed by two or more vital months the German attack against Russia; if we did not have this long delay, the outcome of the war would have been different"; and

WHEREAS, Prime Minister Churchill concluded that "if there had not been the virtue and courage of the Greeks, we do not know which the outcome of World War II would have been"; and

WHEREAS, This was a consequential victory for freedom and democracy in the modern world and, at the time, an act that inspired and gave hope to the free world; and

WHEREAS, The United States and Greece have been allies in all major international conflicts throughout modern history, including World War II, upholding freedom, democracy, rule of law, human rights, peace, and stability, and those efforts and shared values have enhanced the close bond between the peoples of the United States and Greece; and

WHEREAS, The United States has previously joined Greece in observing Greek Independence Day, including celebrating the 200th anniversary of the holiday on March 25, 2021, reaffirming the democratic principles from which these two great countries were founded; and

WHEREAS, Since 1942, Oxi Day has been celebrated in Greece and Cyprus to commemorate Greece's refusal to submit to fascism on October 28; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare October 28, 2025 as Oxi Day in the State of Illinois to commemorate Greece's refusal to submit to the Axis powers during World War II, noting that this resistance likely led to the ultimate defeat of Nazi Germany; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage the people of Illinois to support and participate in appropriate ceremonies, programs, and other activities in observance of such a day of remembrance.