“I am certain that tomorrow, politically provocative figures operating there, such as Ms. Konstantopoulou and some others, will try to stage various shows. I believe we must protect the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the scales tip in favor of the monument – we cannot accept blackmail under any circumstances,” emphasized Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris regarding the October 28th parade on Parapolitika 90.1 radio during the show “She and I” with journalist Thanasis Fouskidis.
Regarding how the government handled the amendment concerning the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Mr. Plevris emphasized: “The protection of the Monument is handled by the Police, and this is crystal clear.” He added elsewhere: “I believe that both Mr. Dendias and the entire government are clear that by taking such an initiative and thus putting the state’s hard core in protection, we should correspondingly have the image that the monument should have.”
Thanos Plevris: His complete interview on Parapolitika 90.1
Regarding the exclusion of a student with autism from carrying the October 28th flag
T.PLEVRIS: It’s clear that everyone should be a flag bearer. The criteria are exclusively academic performance, and it’s an honor for anyone to carry the flag and an honor for us Greeks when anyone from our society who meets these requirements – having demonstrated better performance in their studies – becomes a flag bearer. This is especially true for children with these special abilities because it shows extra effort and sends a clear message that children on the autism spectrum are in exactly the same position as us in their activities, interactions, and social presence. Therefore, I believe a solution must be found for this specific case.
Asked to comment on the attack on Mr. Voridis and the opposition parties’ stance
T.PLEVRIS: Beyond the obvious fact that such an attack is condemnable, we must point out something characteristic of the Left and Far Left. Violence in general is condemnable, and while there may be moments of tension, families must always remain off-limits. So beyond saying that violence is condemnable from the outset, it’s twice as condemnable when the targeting includes not just the political figure – we expose ourselves, we’re somewhat prepared that we might encounter a thug – but under no circumstances should our wives and children pay the price. You see an organized movement by these far-left thugs. At the party level, I saw PASOK directly condemning it; all other references are only made when officials are asked on television. These specific parties don’t deem it appropriate to directly condemn an attack on M. Voridis and his family.
Asked if he fears some will try to practically undermine the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier amendment
T.PLEVRIS: I see, regardless of the amendment, that some opposition parties tolerate, perhaps even encourage, a memorandum-era scenario when government MPs would emerge and groups would want to target them. I believe we’ll see this in the coming period. We’ll suddenly see leftist types, hooded figures, appearing everywhere with some social pretext that might resonate and create sensitivity, but behind it will hide escalation logic.
T.PLEVRIS: I’m certain that tomorrow, politically provocative figures operating there, such as Ms. Konstantopoulou and some others, will try to stage various shows. I believe we must protect the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the scales tip in favor of the monument – we cannot accept blackmail under any circumstances.
Regarding how the government handled the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier amendment issue
T.PLEVRIS: Monument protection is handled by the Police, and this is clear. The major issue arose with how the Monument would be kept clean because we had reached a point where tents were being set up. The cleanliness issue belonged to the Municipality of Athens. The Municipality of Athens proved it couldn’t respect the monument and maintain it properly, so responsibility passed to the military. Mr. Dendias signed the amendment, and from subsequent announcements with Mr. Doukas, took a clear position that the Defense Ministry will do whatever is necessary to honor the Monument. I believe the discussion was more at a parapolitical rather than political level. In essence, from now on the Defense Ministry will maintain the monument in its proper condition. I believe both Mr. Dendias and the entire government are clear that by taking such an initiative and putting the state’s hard core in protection, we should correspondingly have the image the monument should have.
On migration flows
T.PLEVRIS: Recent days show a balance emerging. You can see this through good cooperation with Eastern Libya. Over the last quarter, we’ve had communication and see better results. August-September and apparently October, when compared to corresponding months last year, show a 50% reduction in flows across the entire territory, meaning both tough measures and better cooperation have played a role.
