“It’s a cosmopolitan city with noise and great food, ‘dirty’ politicians and a long, dark history,” the article reads.
The reaction of Thessaloniki to the Qatargate scandal is mentioned by Politico through the “Brussels Playbook” column, with the journalist signing the publication from Thessaloniki where he was to record the pulse of the city in the arrest of Eva Kaili.
“Good morning. I’m Nick Vinokur and I’m writing the Playbook today from Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece. It is a cosmopolitan city with noise and great food, ‘dark and dirty’ politicians and a long, dark history. I love her – although for those of you who imagine me drinking raki under the Mediterranean sun, think again, the weather is like Brussels” begins the text of the column, referring to the wave of bad weather that swept our country in the last 24 hours.
The Politico article
The Politico journalist met with the mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas “in his spacious office overlooking the eastern Mediterranean”.
“We discussed how the city reacted to the arrest of Eva Kaili who is from here, the attitude of the Greeks towards the European Union and Zerva’s big plans for Thessaloniki, among which the Metro and the Holocaust museum stand out” the column states of Politico.
As the journalist reports, “Zervas said he was “shocked” by the news of Kaili’s arrest at the beginning of December. “I am one of those who believe that public officials should have zero tolerance for corruption.” But this case does not reflect the image of Thessaloniki, said the mayor. According to Mr. Zerva, the residents of the city treat Kaili’s arrest as a “bad case” but also as something that happened “outside the borders of the city”.
Then the text of the column asks “if this is a local tradition?” and this because, as noted, “Kaili, who has been remanded in custody on charges of corruption, is the last of the politicians born in Thessaloniki to be involved in a scandal: Akis Tsochatzopoulos, the former Minister of Defense who was imprisoned for corruption, had originally from Thessaloniki, and the same applies to Panagiotis Psomiadis, the former mayor whose name has been involved in scandalous affairs. “But that hasn’t done anything to the political DNA of the city,” asserts Zervas. “In reality, the problems are due to the Greek central government and the European Parliament”.
“In any case, the case of Eva Kaili could fuel the distrust of European institutions, insists Mr. Zervas. “This is a case that calls into question the credibility and the role of the European Union because in a difficult period… it is a fact that Europe is often slow in its reactions, it does not help” the column adds.
The journalist then refers to the re-election plans of Konstantinos Zervas as the mayor of Thessaloniki: “Recovering from the pandemic, says Mr. Zervas, the city of 1 million inhabitants is attracting foreign investments among which those of Deloitte, Accenture and Pfizer, whose CEO, Albert Burla, hails from the city. Zervas pledges to use his second term to complete the Metro project and establish a Holocaust museum.”
Speaking of “the ghosts of Thessaloniki” the editor of Politico notes that “Jews were once the majority in Thessaloniki and had a large community when the Nazis occupied the city in 1941. Only 4% of the city’s Jews survived. After 80 years, however, the Holocaust museum still has not been established. Asked about the delay, Zervas attributed it to the bureaucracy and the fact that the plans for the museum had to be revised by his administration.”
“As for the metro… this is delayed because the underground of Thessaloniki is full of antiquities. Fair as an argument but better public transport must come quickly. The traffic is continuous. Fortunately, you forget everything when you sit down to eat. Did I tell you about the food?’ Politico’s Brussels Playbook column that today, Friday (27/1) is dedicated to Thessaloniki, closes.
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I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have been an author at News Bulletin 247 for the past 2 years. I mostly cover politics news. I am a highly experienced and respected journalist. I have won numerous awards for my work.
