By Dora Antoniou

With pressure on the opposition, the government accompanies the tabling of the amendment on the Unknown Soldier. The amendment, as previously announced, was tabled last night and today the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will speak in Parliament to support the government’s actions.

The mark of the attitude that the government will take towards the opposition parties, which have already expressed objections to the choice of the government, was given by the government representative: “The question will be one and simple for all the parties, after reading this particular amendment: Do they agree to protect a monument in favor of the fallen so that we can be free today?” Yes or no? That is the question. Because it doesn’t mean that anyone who wants the monument to the Unknown Soldier not to be turned into a protest site or a spray park or whatever, doesn’t mean that anyone who doesn’t want that to happen, doesn’t respect the dead of a tragic accident. It is a dilemma, a pseudo-dilemma I would say, which creates a certain part of the opposition, to polarize and divide society. We will not enter into this process.”

It is expected that the Prime Minister will move on this wavelength today in the Parliament. The government also invokes the example of monuments of other countries to justify its decision to table the amendment. It is, at the same time, clear that he is taking advantage of the polling image that showed that the great majority of citizens reject the images that have dominated the space in front of the monument for the last time. After all, in public the government representative spoke of the “households” and the “silent majority” whose concerns the government wishes to hear. It is this “silent majority” the audience that seeks to re-approach with a vehicle this particular legislative initiative.

The amendment states that the use or occupation of the space and any alteration thereof, as well as any public outdoor assembly, is prohibited and provides for a prison sentence of up to one year or a fine. As previously announced, the maintenance, care and promotion of the monument and the area in front of it assigned to the Ministry of National Defensewhich, however, has the possibility of assigning relevant contracts, so that the necessary works are done by private workshops, as objections were raised about the way in which the Ministry of National Defense could fulfill this specific obligation. The police are responsible for maintaining public order.

The amendment will be voted on, as the government has the necessary majority, so the question of today’s proceedings is the stance that the opposition parties will take both in the discussion that will precede it and in the vote. And the big question is how the new framework for the space will work in practice and whether there will be reactions in the form of mobilizations there.

However, yesterday, the issue also caused intra-governmental firefights. THE Adonis Georgiadis when asked if the names of the Tempe victims should be erased from the scene, he said that the question should be put to Mr. Dendiaswho will have the relevant responsibility after the amendment is passed. He thus continued the front with the Minister of National Defense, against whom he has left sharp points in the past on various occasions.