The “Red Cat” would like to share some thoughts with you today, because he sees that many people from different sides are once again trying to make European citizens feel guilty.
To divide society into good and bad. Into the callous and the sensitive. Into conservatives and progressives.
The inspiration for today’s article came from two images and the ensuing public discourse. Because, for our “Cat” to have the luxury of going about his business, gathering his information, and writing his comments, we must keep logic and social cohesion strong.
First image: an African immigrant has knocked a citizen to the ground in Belfast, raises his fist triumphantly, and then attempts to saw through his throat—that is, to behead him.
Second image: young (mostly) Belfast residents take to the streets at night after the incident to protest with the slogan “we’re driving out the foreigners,” proceeding to vandalize public property and burn down (public buildings) belonging to immigrants.
The media highlighted the shocking scene, the disarming of the perpetrator by passersby, and focused on the incidents with headlines such as “racist outburst,” “immigrants’ homes burned,” “hooded men in black,” “danger to Greek immigrants,” and so on. Let’s start with the basics:
First, loud and clear: violence is a crime. Whether committed by the immigrant or by the protesters.
Second, loud and clear: “yes” to legal immigration and the protection of refugees – “no” to illegal immigration. Modern-day human traffickers cannot be allowed to decide who stays where.
Thirdly, loud and clear: “yes” to respecting and protecting the European way of life. Anyone who leaves a place to escape oppression or a threat to their life cannot transfer that oppression or threat onto those who host them. Obviously “yes” to being able to maintain one’s customs and traditions, but it is not possible to demand that they be imposed on others.
No going back to the Middle Ages
In this context, it is not acceptable to blame every voice and every reaction when an immigrant breaks the law. To avoid misunderstandings, this position does not condone destruction or retaliation. But there can be no tolerance or silence toward the perpetrator; his act must be considered an exception (which it is), while those who react are collectively labeled as racists or far-right extremists. It is extremely unfair to European citizens who demonstrate their solidarity in practice.
Europe itself is a product of migratory flows. But it has a population. It has traditions. It has a culture. A culture and way of life to which some turn for protection. To live better, in safety and freedom. In this journey, nothing gives them the right to restrict the rights and freedoms enjoyed by all of us who live in European countries. Mutual respect is a fundamental prerequisite for coexistence.
And the goal is to move forward. “The Cat” finds nothing traditional in the image of a woman in a burqa. He finds nothing picturesque in the image of a man walking ten meters ahead while his wife follows behind, laden with children and bags of their belongings. No matter which god he believes in. Too much blood has been shed on this planet for freedom and democracy to prevail, even in just one part of the world.
So, loud and clear: no faith gives anyone the right to send us back to the Middle Ages. The state must assume its responsibilities. Every organized state must protect the European acquis. And that is not racism.
The survivor Nikos
In the end, the man has the bat’s bone. Whatever happens, the universe conspires to keep him in his seat. At a time when PASOK is openly discussing the possibility of challenging him again—for Nikos Androulakis—he pulled off the big transfer. Christos Protopapas has placed himself at the service of the president, following a long period during which he served as the “strategist” for Haris Doukas. But the mayor of Athens is a strategist himself, so the experienced politician decided to return to Harilaou Trikoupi, where the party president has already survived two internal party showdowns and is preparing for the third (and bitter one?).
And the… seven-souled Christos
The title of “seven-souled,” aside from being a characteristic of “Cat,” fits Christos Protopapas like a glove. You see, the former president of the GSEE served successively as Deputy Minister of Labor and government spokesperson for Kostas Simitis, a confidant of George Papandreou, in the circle of executives around Evangelos Venizelos, in the inner circle of Fofi Gennimata, as the right-hand man of Haris Doukas, and now on Nikos Androulakis’s campaign staff. Truly a seven-star figure. For his staunch friends, he endures by passing on experience and information from one president to the next; for those who have known him, he endures because he works hard and is always present. A consistent strategist with knowledge of human geography and the field.
Waiting for Antonis
Antonis Samaras is looking for the right timing to announce his party and is preparing candidate lists. But he is facing grumbling from those involved: “Mr. President, how are we supposed to campaign if you don’t say anything?” For now, the affable Nikos Tsoutsias is listening to the complaints. He is something like Giorgos Elenopoulos to Giorgos Papandreou. Every party wants a journalist in its ranks.
