A particularly fierce political confrontation erupted between Dimitris Kairidis and Haris Doukas on Monday (June 22), sparked by the shifting political alliances among parties ahead of the upcoming elections. The New Democracy parliamentary spokesperson launched an attack against the Mayor of Athens, accusing him of “dragging” PASOK off course, while Haris Doukas fired back, saying Kairidis was “acting on orders.” “Those of us who disagree with them politically are ‘failures,’ ‘fringe,’ and ‘nobodies,'” Doukas added.
Doukas vs. Kairidis: “He unleashed three extreme characterizations”
Athens Mayor Haris Doukas took to Facebook in response to Dimitris Kairidis’s comments. In his post, he wrote: “Acting on orders, New Democracy’s parliamentary spokesperson Dimitris Kairidis unleashed three extreme characterizations against me within two days. Those of us who disagree with them politically are ‘failures,’ ‘fringe,’ and ‘nobodies.'”
“The fascification of political life by the government’s so-called ‘elite’ on full display. As for Athens — they should keep its name out of their mouths. Fortunately, the city has left behind the debacle of the ‘Great Walk’ project and the improvised interventions on Vasilissis Olgas Avenue, and is now turning a new page. P.S. You tore down the 1,000-seat amphitheater at the Zappeion. Who’s paying for that? That’s exactly why they need to become a thing of the past — and quickly.”
Kairidis’s comments
Earlier that day, speaking on ANT1 television, Dimitris Kairidis had used harsh language against Haris Doukas, linking him to PASOK’s internal maneuvering and electoral strategy. Kairidis argued that as the country heads toward elections, public debate should not be dominated by opinion polls and political gossip — nor, as he put it, by “the nonsense surrounding PASOK.”
At that point, he launched a direct attack on Haris Doukas, claiming that PASOK had allowed “a failed Athens mayor” to drag the party “toward destruction.” He further argued that instead of focusing on cleanliness and the state of Athens city center, the mayor was “playing politics.” The New Democracy parliamentary spokesperson also claimed that PASOK was “being led astray by a fringe figure,” calling the Athens mayor a “political fringe element” and “a complete nobody,” while suggesting that he “was elected by chance through a set of circumstances and will never be re-elected.”
