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Sharp responses against the appointment of an anti-Semite minister

23 September 2015 / 18:09:22  GRReporter
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The appointment of Dimitris Kammenos of Independent Greeks Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks in the government of Alexis Tsipras has caused an avalanche of reactions that are not subsiding.

The reason for them is his extremely aggressive comments on the social network Twitter, in which Kammenos is not hiding his anti-Semitic and homophobic attitudes. An example of such a publication is the comparison of the slogan of pro-European Greeks "We stay in Europe" with the inscription on the door of the concentration camp of Auschwitz.

On the 12th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center in Manhattan, the newly appointed minister wrote, "9/11. Do not forget. None of the total of 2,250 Jews who worked in the twin towers went to work that day."

He has a similar attitude to the gay community as well. On 17 June 2014, Kammenos wrote, "Why has Golden Dawn not issued a message and is not actively interfering against the gay parades in front of the parliament? There is no sign of it..." In response to the comment of another user, he stated, "I am an admirer of order and morality. The forced foreign pansy law will not be accepted here. Can you get lost?"

In a third type of publications, such as that of 23 November 2013, he mixed his resentment at SYRIZA in whose government he is involved today with his anti-Semitism and homophobia. "SYRIZA is fully in line with the orders of Zionism = to destroy other societies!! Why are gay marriages not allowed in Israel?"

Earlier today, Dimitris Kammenos blocked his Twitter account and hours later, under pressure from numerous critical comments, he issued a message stating that the controversial publications were not written by him but by "over 15 associates who are operating with it".

SYRIZA’s reactions were not late in coming. MEP Dimitris Papadimoulis wrote on Twitter that he fully supports the government of Tsipras but added that he is not at all happy about the appointment of a person with extreme and racist views.

His colleague in the European Parliament and famous Greek journalist Stelios Kouloglou was even sharper, "Dimitris Kammenos in a left government, this is the shortest joke. Let him become the minister of the shortest continuance."

The most acute reaction, however, came from MP Vasiliki Katrivanou, a member of the Group of 53 in SYRIZA, which, according to the Greek media, is the new internal opposition of Alexis Tsipras. In the statement that she disseminated in the media, she said that she felt "shame and sorrow because Dimitris Kammenos who is systematically making pathetic homophobic and anti-Semitic comments on his Twitter account has become a minister in a left government, whose backbone is SYRIZA. The content and morality of his comments are suitable only for the far right and affect not just those targeted but every person with dignity. Removing him from government is necessary and urgent."

Tags: PoliticsDimitris Kammenosanti-SemitehomophobeIndependent GreeksGreek government
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