Nikolaos Bourantas ( el, Νικόλαος Μπουραντάς; 1900 – 16 January 1981) was a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

collaborator during the Axis occupation of Greece during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in the capacity of City Police officer. Following the end of the war he was acquitted of war crimes charges and promoted to head of the City Police. Bourantas went to become an MP for the Attica and Boeotia Prefecture and chief of the

Hellenic Fire Service The Hellenic Fire Service ( el, Πυροσβεστικό Σώμα, Pyrosvestiko Soma) is the national agency of Greece for fire and rescue service. It is part of the Ministry for Citizen Protection. (today the 15% of the strength). Volunteers ac ...

Biography

Nikolaos Bourantas was born in 1900. During the course of the Axis occupation of Greece during

, he commanded the 700-man motorized unit of the City Police, which came to be known as "''Bourantades''" (Μπουραντάδες, "Bourantas' men"). The unit actively participated in security operations against urban resistance groups in Athens, most notably in the suburbs of Kokkinia,

Kallithea Kallithea (Greek: Καλλιθέα, meaning "beautiful view") is a district of Athens and a municipality in south Athens regional unit. It is the eighth largest municipality in Greece (96,118 inhabitants, 2021 census) and the fourth biggest i ...

Vyronas Vyronas ( el, Βύρωνας) is a suburban town and a municipality in the southeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. The town is named after George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, the famous English poet and writer, who is a national h ...

, and

Kaisariani Kaisariani ( el, Καισαριανή) is a suburb and a municipality in the eastern part of the Athens agglomeration in Greece. Geography Kaisariani is located about southeast of Athens city centre, and of the Acropolis of Athens. The munic ...

. Bourantas and his men engaged in arrests, torture and executions of alleged resistance members, transferring a number of suspects to the German authorities who in turn sent them to concentration camps. Following the end of the war Bourantas was tried by the Special Collaborationist Court of Athens, with proceedings beginning on 20 November 1945. The chief of City Police

Angelos Evert Angelos Evert ( el, Άγγελος Έβερτ; german: Ewert; 10 April 1894 – 30 December 1970) was a Greek police officer, most notable for serving as head of the Athens branch of the Cities Police during the Axis Occupation of Greece during ...

, among other high-ranking police officials, testified in Bourantas' defense. The trial ended with an acquittal of the accused, with the judge D. Golfinopoulos claiming that evidence provided by the persecution was inconclusive. Golfinopoulos judged that the violent suppression of anti-Axis demonstrations was conducted by the ''Bourantades'' in order to prevent Axis units from taking matters in their own hands, thus avoiding greater bloodshed, while on the occasion Bourantas followed orders while acting under duress. The case of the collaboration between Axis units and the City Police in the Kallithea security operation was ruled out as an unfortunate coincidence. Furthermore, Bourantas was pronounced innocent in the charge of collaborating with the

Security Battalions The Security Battalions ( el, Τάγματα Ασφαλείας, Tagmata Asfaleias, derisively known as ''Germanotsoliades'' (Γερμανοτσολιάδες) or ''Tagmatasfalites'' (Ταγματασφαλίτες)) were Greek Collaboration with ...

and ignorant of the fact that his subordinates had handed suspects to the Germans. Finally Golfinopoulos inquired whether the defendant would seek monetary compensation from his accusers for moral injury, which Bourantas declined. Bourantas' release led to a public outcry over the judicial decision, which prompted the Minister of Public Order Konstantinos Rentis to call for the suspension of Bourantas from the police force and for his case to be reexamined. Nevertheless, Rentis' suggestions were not implemented. Afterwards Bourantas was promoted to head of City Police. Bourantas was elected into the

Hellenic Parliament The Hellenic Parliament ( el, Ελληνικό Κοινοβούλιο, Elliniko Kinovoulio; formally titled el, Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Voulí ton Ellínon, Boule (ancient Greece), Boule of the Greeks, Hellenes, label=none), also kno ...

as a representative of the Metaxist Politically Independent Alignment for the Attica and Boeotia Prefecture constituency in the 1950 Greek legislative election. Between 1959 and 1964, Bourantas served as the head of the

. Bourantas died on 16 January 1981, at the

Evangelismos Hospital Athens General Hospital 'Evangelismos' ( el, Γενικό Νοσοκομείο Αθηνών «Ο Ευαγγελισμός») is one of the largest public hospitals in Greece. It is located in a sub-neighbourhood of Kolonaki named after it, Evange ...

in Athens. He was buried in the

First Cemetery of Athens The First Cemetery of Athens ( el, Πρώτο Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών, ''Próto Nekrotafeío Athinón'') is the official cemetery of the City of Athens and the first to be built. It opened in 1837 and soon became a prestigious ceme ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourantas, Nikolaos 1900 births 1981 deaths Firefighting in Greece Greek anti-communists Greek collaborators with Nazi Germany Greek MPs 1950–1951 Greek police officers Athens in World War II People from Boeotia