Alexis Tsipras is calling for the resignation of Giorgos Floridis, arguing that the referral of former deputy minister to the Prime Minister, Christos Triantapoulos, to the Special Court over the Tempi train disaster exposes the Justice Minister, who had previously dismissed those raising concerns about the tampering of the crash site as “people who talk about debris being nothing but debris” themselves.
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SYRIZA raises questions over Tempi crash site tampering and the first Special Court referral
Speaking yesterday at a forum held in Ancient Olympia, Alexis Tsipras stated that “the person who should, following this decision, resign from his position — if he has even a basic sense of political integrity — is the Justice Minister. Who, I remind you, arrogantly dismissed everyone who said what we were all seeing, with phrases like ‘those who talk about tampering are themselves fit for the rubbish heap.’ If Mr. Floridis has even the most basic sense of political integrity, he is obliged to resign today.”
SYRIZA officials noted that the alleged tampering with the Tempi tragedy site paves the way for the first Special Court referral under the Mitsotakis government. “Mr. Triantapoulos is being referred for breach of duty. Joining him are the regional governor of Thessaly, Mr. Agorastos, and three other state officials. Justice will determine their criminal liability.” At the same time, the party is reviving a series of unanswered questions: “Who decided to tamper with the site? Who gave the relevant orders? Who knew? Why do some individuals appear to have been little more than bystanders at the scene of the tragedy?”
Cost of living and elections at the heart of Tsipras’ agenda — his message on fuel prices, incomes, and voter abstention
Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras also addressed the issue of soaring fuel prices, ahead of expected announcements by the current Prime Minister on the matter, noting: “If I were at the helm of this country, I believe I would have taken action much earlier to prevent us from reaching today’s dire situation. Last year, nearly 1 in 5 Greeks could not heat their homes. Based on official Eurostat data, we are among the countries with the highest fuel prices in the world. Fuel prices at Greek petrol stations are higher than those in Monaco and France — and this is no coincidence. It is the result of a number of factors.”
He added: “It is primarily due to the fact that the government has taken no action, while measures have been implemented across the rest of Europe. The fuel price crisis did not emerge out of nowhere. The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for six years, and the conflict involving Iran has been escalating since last February. We all knew that by September and October, things would become significantly harder.”
The SYRIZA leader further emphasised that what Greece is experiencing today is a direct consequence of the relationship between prices, income, and wages. As he noted, Greece has endured a particularly damaging combination in recent years: “We have wages comparable to those in Bulgaria, but supermarket prices higher than those in France, Switzerland, and Germany.” “This combination,” he added, “is a truly explosive cocktail.”
Tsipras addresses elections and voter abstention
Alexis Tsipras also turned his attention to the upcoming elections, stressing that those who abstained in previous votes will play a decisive role in the next contest — provided they choose to show up at the ballot box.
“Our fight over these next six months is to engage with those citizens who currently appear to have low expectations — who don’t believe that a change in policy is possible. We need to tell them that it’s not a miracle, that it is achievable, with their contribution. We need to convince them that they should not have low expectations, but high ones — and that their participation in the electoral process is what will determine who governs us, and more importantly, how, with what policies, with what plan, and with what vision for the future,” he said.
