Georgios Giotas (1880 – February 12, 1911)

Georgios Giotas (1880 – February 12, 1911)

From Giannitsa in Macedonia, Giotas was a fighter and chieftain and is considered to be one of the most important fighters of the Macedonian Struggle (1904-08) in the area of Central Macedonia.

A member of a bilingual family, initially he was a member of the Bulgarian VMRO who were fighting the Turks, he was also the first cousin of leading Bulgarian Komitatzi Apostol Petkov.

He switched allegiances after witnessing numerous atrocities committed against Greek civilians, one in particular was the stoning to death of a Greek priest by the Bulgarians.

With his family originally pro-Patriarchists with pro-Greek feelings, he returned and at the same time, managed to flip 6 former pro-Bulgarian villages and bring them back with him to the Greek side.

He was known as a fierce Warrior around the swamps of Central Macedonia. He was killed on this day in 1911, in an operation led by the Turks.

There are busts of Giotas to be found today in Thessaloniki and Giannitsa.