Aphrodite Papakonstantinou, communications specialist and content creator, announced that she received an out-of-court statement-complaint via Messenger, in which a series of posts on social media as offensive, abusive, or defamatory.
In her statement, she argues that her posts concern public events and figures in the news, citing as a prime example a video from the Euroleague final at the OAKA, which—as she notes—was broadcast publicly and posted verbatim. At the same time, she notes that one of the posts in question was based on a Reuters article, with a clear citation of the source.
It argues that freedom of expression, commentary on public events, as well as satire and ironic criticism are protected by the Constitution and case law, noting that criticism of public figures does not in itself constitute an illegal act. He also states that he has received anonymous messages on social media, which he describes as cryptic and unfriendly, while rejecting the claim of “obsession” with this specific issue, arguing that it is simply commentary on an event that has been widely discussed by the public.
In closing, he expresses the view that the sending of successive out-of-court notices to citizens who publicly comment on events may fall under the practice of so-called SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), citing the relevant European legislation. At the same time, she states that she does not intend to stop publicly expressing her views and concludes with a reference to sports, noting that in both sports and life, no one can always win.
