“Defeat of Democracy.” “Political Revenge.” “An 82-year-old model prisoner.”
These were the words chosen by the well-known Member of Parliament for the State of SYRIZA to defend convicted leader of the November 17 group following his return to prison. Not a single mention of the victims. Not a single word about the families left behind. Not a single reminder that we are talking about a man who was convicted as the leader of the bloodiest terrorist organization of the post-dictatorship era.
Instead, the public debate has shifted to the prisoner’s age, the years he has served, and the alleged injustice he is suffering. As if he were some unfortunate elderly man who found himself in the crosshairs of the authorities, rather than a terrorist serving multiple life sentences for murder.
The most provocative thing, however, is not the defense of a convicted terrorist. It is the insistence on portraying as a victim a man who has never shown the slightest sincere remorse. Remorse is not a mere formality. It is a fundamental prerequisite for any discussion of leniency or early release. The leader of November 17 has never apologized. He did not acknowledge the harm he caused. He showed no sign of remorse for the people who lost their lives to the organization’s infamous .45-caliber weapon. He remains unrepentant. He remains a murderer.
Even more striking is the attempt to imply that the Greek justice system operates under the influence of the United States and a so-called “powerful family.” The reference to the Mitsotakis family is as obvious as it is offensive. Especially when it concerns a family that has paid a heavy price in blood due to terrorism. One of its members, Pavlos Bakoyannis, was killed by the bullets of the November 17 group. It takes truly great political audacity to insinuate sinister interference by people who have experienced terrorist violence in their own homes.
And when she herself claims to be receiving threats accompanied by photos of her home, she would do well to remember something. The victims of November 17 were not targeted in their imagination. They were targeted in reality. They were watched, marked, and executed in cold blood. Their families did not experience fear on social media. They experienced funerals. They experienced loss.
After all, this is not a random political presence. The second spot on SYRIZA’s national ballot was not given to her by chance by Alexis Tsipras. It was the reward for a long-standing campaign of personal attacks against Kyriakos Mitsotakis, his family, and even his children.
The problem, however, is not just her. It is those who elevated her and gave her political legitimacy. It is the man who is now attempting a careful rebranding and asking that his past choices be forgotten. The same politician who, in February 2021, led the country’s official opposition behind slogans in support of Dimitris Koufontinas, when the deputy leader of the November 17 group was attempting to blackmail the Republic. And back then, the current Member of Parliament for the State had rushed to defend an unrepentant murderer.
Ultimately, her posts reveal nothing about Giotopoulos. We’ve known who he is for years. They do, however, reveal a great deal about those who continue to grant executioners more rights than they acknowledge to the memory of their victims.
