“We’ve heard plenty of condemnations. What we don’t see, however, is the necessary political condemnation of such phenomena from all sides without exception and from all parliamentary parties without exception. There have been past statements indicative of this climate, from Mr. Tsipras when he was prime minister: ‘Well, what happened with the Molotov cocktails?’ So here’s what can be done about the Molotov cocktails.”
This was emphasized by Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis in an interview today on Ertnews Radio 105.8, referring to the deadly attack against New Democracy officials yesterday in Thessaloniki.
“If what happened in Thessaloniki—where a man lost his life—had been the result of an attack by far-right extremists, we would all—quite rightly—have been outraged; we would have been utterly condemnatory, and I’m sure the issue would have been the top story in all media outlets for many days. I’m not at all sure that will be the case here. “Because the attack was carried out by far-left extremists, and I fear that certain political parties apply double standards in these cases,” said Kostis Hatzidakis. “If far-right forces had occupied the refugee camps, would that have been tolerated? Moreover, would there even be parties in Parliament that would support such a takeover? Can Rubicon’s actions be tolerated with the excuse, ‘It’s okay, they’re left-wing activists’?” he asked.
“We cannot,” he added, “discriminate against violence based on whether it comes from the far right or the far left. Our democracy has functioned without disruption since 1974. What happened 50, 70, or 80 years ago cannot be an excuse for anyone to engage in such practices that ultimately kill people,” noted the deputy prime minister.
He also emphasized that extreme positions taken by the opposition act as a catalyst for such attacks. “There are opposition parties in Parliament—I’ve experienced this firsthand—that label the government a ‘criminal organization’ to bring it down and a ‘Camorra’ to bring it up. These things are not serious; they obviously do not reflect well on the parties that use such rhetoric, but they are also not indicative of a modern, democratic, European state. They are signs of backwardness.”
Referring to yesterday’s announcements regarding OPEKEPE and progress on the payment of agricultural subsidies, Kostis Hatzidakis noted that the new application for subsidy payments, to be submitted in July, will be largely pre-filled, as the relevant government databases have been linked. “The new application will also help bypass various intermediaries that have existed in recent years for the submission of applications. This will ensure that the system is transparent, simple, and modern, marking the transition to a new era in the payment of agricultural subsidies.”
“The transition from OPEKEPE to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) does more than just ensure transparency in the disbursement of funds,” noted Kostis Hatzidakis. “Now, the system has begun to work in favor of actual producers. We have combined the modernization of the system with a social dimension. Last year, the audits conducted as part of the implementation of the new, hybrid system for paying subsidies resulted in savings of 160 million euros. This money is being provided this year as additional funding to actual producers. It went to livestock farmers, wheat growers, and cotton growers, who saw their subsidies increase.”
“Once the system using electronic tags for sheep and goats and satellite technologies is completed and fully implemented, there will be even greater support for actual producers. The country will receive the same amount of money, while actual producers will receive more. “This is the philosophy and essence of this reform, with the transition from OPEKEPE to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE). And it’s a shame that it was supported only by New Democracy,” he concluded.