The April coup will put Greece under military rule, causing shock among Greek expatriates in Europe and around the world. The greatest opposition to the Junta is observed in Germany for two main reasons: first, it is home to the largest number of post-war immigrants, and second, German unions are very powerful, significantly mobilizing and rallying their members.
In Cologne, where Deutsche Welle’s headquarters are located, the Greek program of the station, especially from 1969 onwards, takes a clear stand against the coup leaders and quickly transforms into a fierce critique of the junta regime in Greece.
Deutsche Welle and the Greek service of the BBC will become two free voices during those repressive years, heard via shortwave in the silenced Greek territory. However, the Cologne station will be at the forefront, not only with sharp criticism of what is happening in Greece (exiles, imprisonments, torture, and the curtailment of all individual and social freedoms) but also by clearly demonstrating through the stance of its members the goal of overthrowing the junta regime. It is precisely this stance of Greek journalists and collaborators at Deutsche Welle that will enrage the regime’s officials in Greece, who will label them as “the rats of Cologne.”