THE CASE FOR REPARATIONS

Greece to Demand $300 Billion in World War II Reparations From Germany

“It is an open issue that must be resolved,” the country’s deputy foreign minister said.

Greece’s parliament has voted to demand $300 billion from Germany in reparations for the destruction suffered during World War II, The Guardian reports Sunday. The demand comes after the country conducted a parliamentary inquiry into Germany’s conduct toward Greece throughout the war, which included the slaughter of tens of thousands of people between 1941 and 1944 as the nation pushed back against Nazi forces. The Guardian reports that by the end of German occupation, nearly 300,000 people were dead from famine alone. The $300 billion figure includes approximately $11 billion for an interest-free “occupation loan,” and about $288 billion for damage Greece suffered during the war. Germany has long argued that it sufficiently paid reparations when it gave Athens 115 million Deutsche Marks in 1960; Greek officials disagree. “It is an open issue that must be resolved,” Greece’s deputy foreign minister, Markos Bolaris, told the paper.