People threw yoghurt and stones at Petalotis

The incidents of people insulting and deprecating politicians tend to become an everyday phenomenon. Yesterday evening the government spokesman, Giorgos Petalotis, visited the KAPI at Argiroupoli for a partisan event and found himself against a small team of protesters waiting to welcome him with eggs, yoghurt and stones, an action which was being planned on facebook throughout the day.

PASOK members rushed to protect him, while the spokesman entered the building without being injured, and gave his scheduled speech. Shortly after, however, hundreds of people entered the area and Petalotis found himself stuck with about 700 people outside shouting abusive slogans against him and pointing their lasers on him.

Police forces rushed to the scene and while a thriller took place for quite a while, the government spokesman was being ushered out through the back door. Upon exiting, an unknown person threw a firecracker at him, slightly injuring a lady.

The situation escalated to a political incident as it triggered an intense fight between Petalotis and SYRIZA. “We will not be intimidated by some supposedly democratic thugs who tried to stop this event”, the spokesman said during his speech, and spoke of  “SYRIZA agents who are trying to make us forget what democracy means”.

The PASOK press office issued the following statement:

“PASOK absolutely and unequivocally condemns today's events against government spokesman Giorgos Petalotis in Argyroupoli, once again with protagonists from the party of SYRIZA. The threat of violence and deprecations is condemnable, especially when carried out in order to cancel the planned event of a political party. The attempt by some to manipulate the peaceful demonstrations of citizens and exploit them for their own petty gains, is also unacceptable. We urge political parties to take a clear position on current events, which are directed against democratic dialogue and democracy itself. All democratic citizens have to defend Democracy, its institutions and free expression for every citizen, achievements that were gained through the struggkes of entire generations of Greeks”.
 

The announcement by SYNASPISMOS

“The attack against SYRIZA by the government spokesman and Troika agent is not news anymore. But what we want to point out is the concerted effort of the PASOK system to create a climate of defamation against the spontaneous protests of indignant citizens, attributing them to agitators. It seems they have not understood anything. The river is not turning back. The vast majority of our society is asking for the new measures not to be ratified and wants the government to leave. We dedicate to Mr Petalotis a recent phrase by one of his colleagues: “the princes of the government, they are being spat upon and they think it’s raining”.