Evacuation of squat<\/b> in Prosfigika and conversion of the space into guesthouses<\/b> for relatives of cancer patients<\/b>, according to statements by Pavlos Marinakis<\/b>.<\/p>\n
The case of the refugee shelters on Alexandras Avenue<\/b> has returned to the center of the political debate<\/b>, following statements by government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis<\/b> regarding the eviction of a squatted space and plans to develop it by the Attica Region<\/b>. Mr. Marinakis described Prosfigika as a prime example of the state\u2019s long-standing pathologies<\/b>, arguing that the new use of the property marks the return of a public space to the citizens<\/b>, with the aim of creating accommodation facilities for relatives of patients<\/b> who are being treated at cancer hospitals<\/b>. At the same time, he criticized those who oppose operations to clear squats<\/b>, emphasizing that the government <\/b>seeks to put abandoned or squatted spaces to use<\/b> for the benefit of social <\/b>needs<\/b>.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the most cowardly thing anyone can do, to go into anyone\u2019s home<\/b>. Whether they are a regional governor or a politician in general<\/b>, or not. It shows just how few such people there are, beyond the unlawful<\/b> and criminal aspects of their behavior<\/b>. The Greek police must\u2014and I am certain they will<\/b>\u2014search for the cowardly perpetrators<\/b> who went to the home of a man living with his family to threaten him and essentially bully him in this way<\/b>, to arrest them and bring them to justice<\/b>. I, too, have been a victim of a similar\u2014and even worse\u2014attack<\/b>, because they even set me on fire with gas canisters<\/b>. \u201cWe stand with Nikos Hardalias and every victim of such an attack,\u201d<\/b> said government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis in an interview on SKAI Radio <\/b>.<\/p>\nThe detailed report on the refugee camps <\/h3>\n
\u201cIf someone wants to describe in just a few minutes one of the greatest social ills in Greece as a whole over the past decades, they can tell the story of the refugee camps,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetween the headquarters of the Hellenic Police\u2014the headquarters, the national headquarters, we\u2019re talking about Alexandras Avenue\u2014and the country\u2019s largest judicial institution, the Supreme Court, the Athens Court of Appeals, and behind them, key departments and courts of the Athens Court of First Instance\u2014there stands a building that has been occupied for many, many years, with the tolerance, unfortunately, by the state and a series of governments, from a specific political camp\u2014to call a spade a spade\u2014and finally a government has come along, the first government to evict squatters from universities and, through the Region of Attica, is returning the space to its rightful owners\u2014the citizens, the taxpayers who pay for it\u2014and what is it doing? It\u2019s turning them into guesthouses for relatives of cancer patients being treated at Agios Savvas and possibly at other cancer hospitals. And instead of all of Greek society\u2014and first and foremost the entire political system, the mayor of Athens, everyone\u2014saying, \u201cCome on, you\u2019re late! Let\u2019s clear out every occupation in this country\u2014throw them out!\u201d And if there are\u2014so as not to be misunderstood\u2014vulnerable groups, children, and people in dire straits who need somewhere to stay, provisions have already been made so they aren\u2019t thrown out onto the street. I\u2019m making this aside so that the usual \u201csolidarity\u201d activists, anarchists, and troublemakers don\u2019t twist my words,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll say it again: as far as I\u2019m concerned, any such space must be cleared by the police immediately. Anyone who is there illegally\u2014and I\u2019m not talking about, I\u2019ll say it again, children, the disadvantaged, and people who belong to vulnerable groups\u2014 I say this every time because we live in a country where people are always nitpicking\u2014some people are constantly nitpicking\u2014must be arrested immediately,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe live in a country where concerts and marches have been held in recent weeks by a specific political camp\u2014the Left and the far-Left\u2014because we are not all the same, because the \u2018\u2018bad government\u2019\u2014I\u2019d say belatedly, but it\u2019s the first to do so\u2014through the Regional Authority and Mr. Hardalias, who has even made arrangements so that any children who might be living on the streets don\u2019t have to stay there\u2014is handing over to Greek taxpayers, for the noble cause of supporting cancer patients and their families, a space that belongs to Greek taxpayers and is not leaving it occupied for another 5, 10 years under occupation, and here we are sitting and discussing it,\u201d said the government spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Regarding the government\u2019s legislative initiative for borrowers, Mr. Marinakis said that there are defaulters and then there are defaulters. \u201cThere are defaulters who are not at fault\u2014people who simply couldn\u2019t make their payments\u2014but there are also strategic defaulters; and this government does not believe in one-size-fits-all solutions for everyone; that is why, for our truly vulnerable fellow citizens who were unable to pay, it has established a legal framework over the past three years that has resulted in the largest number of payment plans in history\u201460,000 payment plans were arranged,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
Regarding the ELAS party\u2019s proposal to protect primary residences, the government spokesperson emphasized \u201cMr. Tsipras\u2014and I would like to inform Ms. Koufonikolakou of this\u2014was the prime minister who handed over the loans to the funds, abolished\u2014or, to be precise, protection for primary residences, and voted to establish electronic auctions. So when this so-called \u2018evil\u2019 government took power, \u201cnon-performing\u201d loans accounted for over 43% of all loans, and now they stand at 4%, with an additional 60,000 repayment plans having been arranged.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regarding the case of D. Avramopoulos, Mr. Marinakis emphasized that, based on what he says in his statement, it appears he has the answers to the questions that will be posed to him, \u201cbut I am not a judge, nor does the government\u2014or any government\u2014represent the prosecutor\u2019s office. The government is the executive branch. \u2018So, it is to his credit that he does not want parliamentary immunity to stand in the way, and the rest will be answered by the courts,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n
Finally, regarding the case of Ms. Asimakopoulou, he noted that he had separated the judicial-criminal aspect from the human and political aspects, and highlighted the hypocrisy that prevails in such cases in public discourse, he emphasized that \u201cthe justice system has spoken, and its decision is fully respected. And we never attack the justice system, as others do. However, in a country and a world where every day we are bombarded with messages and emails from people, companies, and political parties we\u2019ve never even encountered, don\u2019t know, and haven\u2019t bought a single product from, treating Ms. Asimakopoulou or Mr. Stavrianoudakis or anyone else as a criminal under general criminal law, as if they had done something\u2014 I\u2019ll say it again on a personal, human level, and I want to say it once more: it is profoundly hypocritical.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Eviction of a squat in Prosfigika and conversion of the space into guesthouses for relatives of cancer patients, according to statements by Pavlos Marinakis.
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