In 1983 the clergy of the Greek Orthodox Church received a shock. For the first time, the brothers organized street witnessing in connection with a district convention.

The response was dramatic. Hundreds of Witnesses were arrested and taken to local police stations. The result was 38 court cases, 35 of which the brothers won outright, while 3 went to the court of appeals. The clergy were forced to see that they were fighting a losing battle. Exasperated, they called a protest rally to demonstrate against Jehovah’s Witnesses. They hired dozens of buses to convey the demonstrators, but as it turned out, not enough people showed up to fill even one bus! God’s people have continued ever since to witness in the streets, and with much success.

Assemblies Under Attack

The following summer, in June 1986, the newspaper I Larisa reported that a crowd led by priests gathered in front of the Galaxias Cinema where 700 Witnesses had assembled for a circuit assembly. The mob was bent on stopping the assembly, but the police came to disperse them. The newspaper I Alithia of Larissa compared the mood of the mob to that of the crowd who cried out for the death of Jesus, noting: “And unfortunately their ‘leader’ was a raving . . . priest! He threatened and blasphemed. At one point he . . . gave a five-minute ultimatum for those inside to vacate the hall, otherwise ‘we will come inside and smash their heads.’”

In view of such attacks, the Governing Body decided to publish two articles on the subject. So the October 22, 1986, issue of Awake! carried an article entitled “Religious Persecution in Greece​—Why?” and the December 1, 1986, issue of The Watchtower contained the article “Religious Liberty Under Attack in Greece.” The result? Members of the Greek government were inundated! The newspaper Eleftherotipia announced: “200,000 letters from 208 countries sent by Jehovah’s Witnesses.” The newspaper Avgi mentioned that the Ministry of Justice had to set up a special service to handle the thousands of protest letters received daily.