Angelos Evert

He was born in Athens, the son of the Gendarmerie Major Miltiadis Evert. The Evert family was of German aristocratic origin, and they were philhellenes who permanently settled in Greece in the late 19th century and eventually took Greek citizenship. After Law studies in the University of Athens, Angelos Evert joined the Gendarmerie as an officer in September 1915. He was transferred to the Cities Police in 1929, and became Police Commissioner of the Athens branch in September 1941, a few months after the country was overrun by the Germans.

During the course of the occupation, Evert and the German Sicherheitsdienst jointly provided protection to illegal casinos and gambling establishments operating throughout the country. Both received kickbacks for their services while the lion's share of the profits were used to pay the salaries of collaborationist spies. Following the end of the occupation Evert assisted the authorities in the capture and imprisonment of 48 underground casino owners.[1]

Over the next few years he was active in several fronts, supporting the Resistance and maintaining contacts with the Greek government in exile at Cairo, all the while cooperating with the German occupation authorities in the hunting of communists. He also participated in the rescue of several Jewish families from Athens, for which he was later honoured as a "Righteous among the Nations". On 3 December 1944, his policemen opened fire on a large pro EAM demonstration in central Athens, triggering the Dekemvriana clashes.

He served as Chief of the Cities Police from 1951 until he was dismissed on 31 January 1955. He died of heart failure on 30 December 1970. His son, Miltiadis Evert, became a politician with the conservative New Democracy party, and served as Mayor of Athens in 1987–1989 and President of New Democracy in 1993–1997.

Identity card forged by Police Chief Evert which falsely identifies Eva Alhanati, a Greek Jewish woman, as a member of the Greek Orthodox Church named Evangelia Alexiou.

At the end of 1943, during the Holocaust in Greece, Police Chief Evert ordered the forging of thousands of identity cards to Athenian Jews under which described them as Greek Orthodox Gentiles.[2][3] Contributed to saving many belonging to Jewish community in the city. His actions are well known in the State of Israel and in 1969 he was awarded the letter "Righteous Among the Nations" by the Institute of "Yad Vashem".[4]

Angelos Evert later testified that he drew his inspiration from the actions, words, and deeds of Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens, who had urged the Greek people to save the remaining Jews of Greece.