Associates of Alexis Tsipras say the substance of the criticism levelled at him by government officials has shifted 180 degrees, prompted by the unrest in France.“From the moment he returned to the national political stage, they have mocked him for a ‘centrist turn’ in his rhetoric. But since yesterday, they have been attributing to him intentions of … bringing French unrest to the country, in order to portray him once again as a supporter of the ‘rioters’,” they say.
Asking the rhetorical question, “What other accusation will they invent tomorrow?”, they conclude that the government effectively admits it considers the former prime minister a “major thorn” on the road to the national elections.
The accusation that he was encouraging his own social base to act French-style was prompted by a statement from Panos Stachtos Lambrinidis, former secretary of SYRIZA Youth and now serving with ELAS: “Come on, let it be our turn next; Greece should be next. We’re close.”
He later clarified that by “our turn too” he did not mean the looting and other excesses taking place on French streets (by some of the demonstrators), but protests over the explosive problems young people share with those in other countries.
Nevertheless, party representatives found themselves having to defend their position in the public debate yesterday and being called on to urge people to hold peaceful demonstrations.
At another level, ELAS officials say, “the usual government circles are laying the groundwork so that if ‘extreme behaviour’ occurs at the demonstrations planned (editor’s note: tomorrow in Athens), it can be pinned on us and, above all, on Tsipras.”
What is driving society to breaking point?
For his part, the ELAS president sought to link intense social discontent to government policy: “The only way to prevent a social explosion is to create conditions of justice. And that can be achieved through redistribution,” he said, referring to his proposal to tax great wealth.
He added pointedly that “the incredible corruption and the patronage-driven state must come to an end”, since “the combination of inequality, corruption and the unbearable cost of living is what drives people to breaking point.”
In an interview with local television station TRT during his two-day tour of Thessaly, Mr Tsipras directly blamed the prime minister for failing to deliver effective policies to ease pressure on ordinary people: “Mitsotakis cannot guarantee a stable outlook for the days ahead. The country needs a plan for productive reconstruction and decentralisation,” he added.
He once again took aim at the government: “The 2015–19 government was the most honest since the restoration of democracy, while the current one is the most corrupt and unjust the country has ever known.”
He stressed that his own government had put the money into the public coffers: “We didn’t put it in our trouser pockets. We didn’t turn it into kickbacks.”