A frontal attack on the government is launched by the Municipality of Athens for Queen Olga, arguing that three ministries are being united to support the “loser of Kostas Bakoyannis at the expense of citizens”.

The Municipal Authority complains that the ministries “ignore the will of the citizens and the wider majority of the Municipal Council”, recalling that five years ago, Mr Bakoyannis, in the context of the “big walk”, had closed the Queen Olga on the pretext of the pretext.

“Today they represent the lawmakers of the law to block the Municipality of Athens,” the statement said, stressing that “Queen Olga belongs to citizens and not to political expediency.”

The Municipality of Athens states that “it will not go back” and will defend “by all institutional means” the citizens’ request for “an open, fair and sustainable city”, while calling on all parties and MPs of Athens to take a clear position as “the right to the city”.

It is noted that earlier, with a joint press release, the Ministries of Environment and Energy, Culture, and Infrastructure and Transport make it clear that any modification to the operation of Vasilissis Olga Street requires new approvals by the competent services and cannot be unilaterally made by the Municipality of Athens.

Indeed, the same announcement states that “recent announcements by the Municipality of Athens” do not produce legal results “and call on the municipality to observe the procedures set by the institutional framework”.

The entire statement of the Municipality of Athens:

Three ministries are united to defend the loser of the elections, Mr Bakoyannis, at the expense of the citizens.

In an unprecedented practice they ignore the will of the citizens and the wider majority of the Athens City Council.

5 years ago, Mr. Bakoyannis, in the context of the devastating “Great Pass”, closed Vasilissis Olga by allegedly invoking Covid. He designed his conversion into a “private” road to users of the tennis court in the area and for the cafés of the Zappeion.

Then no minister spoke.

Today they are representing the “guardians of the law” to block the Municipality of Athens.

We remind them that Vas. Olga belongs to the citizens and not to political expediency.

The Municipality of Athens will not go back.

By every institutional medium we will do everything we need to defend the democratic demand of the citizens for a city open, fair and sustainable.

We call on all parties and Members of Athens to take a clear position. The right to the city is a matter of democracy.