During his interview on ALPHA’s main news bulletin, the President of PASOK-Change Movement, Nikos Androulakiss, commented on the government amendment on the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. “It gives me a sad impression that the Prime Minister is using this symbol to divide the Greek people. The way it has handled it proves that the government has lost both reason and shame. There is a legislative framework to protect the Monument of the Unknown Soldier. There are two laws and one article of the Constitution. Therefore, anyone who damages, pollutes or insults the Monument can be faced with very severe penalties. Consequently, there is a law and there is a possibility for the police to demarcate the Monument in very large gatherings. He therefore brings an amendment without any reason. Now let’s go to shame. Why now? Why after the hunger strike of a parent who lost his child in Tempe? Why is he pouring salt into an open wound in the heart of the Greek people?” noted Mr. Androulakis characteristically.

He added: “He himself became a tail of extremes, of toxicity, of division. When he failed to build a strong Greece, a fair society, a life without precision, where did he flee? To have corruption, discord, impunity. He is a protagonist in all of this.”

“Mr. Mitsotakis, with an agreement under the table, used Velopoulos to vote together on the alteration of the composition of the independent authorities in order not to shed light on the wiretapping scandal. The Spartans, the “orphans” of the Golden Dawn, vote with the New Democracy” he further argued, deconstructing the relevant government claim.

The President of PASOK underlined that Mr. Mitsotakis is trying to divert the public debate from the real priorities of society: “The world today sees product prices skyrocketing, rents skyrocketing, decline in public health, bad loans are increasing, auctions are increasing, small and medium-sized businesses are asking for 120 installments. We have brought legal proposals, amendments for all of this. Mr. Mitsotakis does not discuss any of this, he does not vote for anything and he constantly finds issues to divide the Greek people.”

“The word “antiscene” used to belittle a hunger striker who lost his child does not express me,” he added, explaining political hypocrisy with an example: “Under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, didn’t Rouvikonas enter the Parliament?” Isn’t there a legislative framework that prevents it? Because they failed to implement the law and protect Parliament, they must make another law? They are incompetent! Lack of will and impotence exist.”

The President of PASOK commented on the toxic government speech and underlined that the parades on the day of our national anniversary must be done with respect: “When in the Parliament Mr. Mitsotakis had an extreme, toxic speech and Mr. Floridis divided the opposition into patriots and non-patriots, Mr. Chrysochoidis and Mr. Dendias distanced themselves from this toxicity. So, it concerns a lot of people that we don’t want this toxicity in the political life of the country. My opinion is that the tones should be lowered and the parades of October 28 should be held with respect, the trial of the Tempe tragedy should be held with respect. *We must finally live in another political normality, in another environment*. Because otherwise our country will go from adventure to adventure. And Mr. Mitsotakis with his strategy proves that he does not unite the Greek people. He divides him, divides him to play his political games.”

It demonstrated that the New Democracy government used its parliamentary majority to obstruct the investigation of justice.

“There is not one case where Mr. Mitsotakis did not respect justice and did not allow it to investigate his ministers. There are many. Contract 717-Karamanlis, case file arrived. Everyone has gone to justice, even New Democracy officials, Mr. Karamanlis who was the head, was left behind by the choice of New Democracy. OPEKEPE’s case file is coming, again in the bulletproof with a shield of protection for Voridis and Avgenakis from the New Democracy against justice”.

Regarding the political environment that is being formed, Mr. Androulakis pointed out that PASOK approaches the dilemmas of the elections with its program that was presented to the TIF. And, if the Greek people honor us, with a brave political change we can have better days with more prosperity” he said.

Asked about the scenario surrounding the future choices of Alexis Tsipras, he noted: “Mr. Tsipras organized behind the scenes the dissolution of his party. At first Ms. left. Ahtsioglou, then Mr. Kasselakis, now Mr. Famellos has come to a very difficult position. These are background games. They don’t concern me. I will do my fight, with PASOK executives, with our program, with our political ethos, with our reliability, with our seriousness. Mr. Mitsotakis is the champion of corruption and impunity. Mr. Tsipras was a champion of political distrust and local discord. I think these have been decided. Let’s go to another day, to a new page, with another policy that we can express.”

Finally, when asked to take a position on the debate on the establishment of a party by M. Karystianou, he said: “Every citizen has the right to make his own choices. Personally, I am very careful from the beginning in the way we discuss this tragedy. I hear from Mr. Mitsotakis saying: “but, you were talking about an unknown fuel”. I didn’t say that. It was mentioned in the state report, which he himself told me was the “gospel” of national self-awareness. And today he mocks me because I said what the state report (!) stated. I have not discussed with exaggerations, nor divisive, I have respected the victims. And what do I ask as a citizen, like every Greek? I want us to know the truth. I finally want the impunity to end, those who did wiretapping undermining democracy pay, those who did not complete the 717 resulting in the unjust death of 57 people, those who set up the “blue” gang of OPEKEPE. Why do I want to pay? Not out of obsession. If some are punished, finally, little by little, our country will enter a European normality. It is not normal to have crimes and corruption and always have some people in the safe. I don’t want to get into a discussion that opens a political circle over a tragedy. I didn’t do it in the first place. I won’t do it now either. I have unlimited respect for the families, their pain, I have taken all the institutional initiatives for preliminary investigation committees, so that justice can control the political protagonists of the tragedy. But in no case do I want to open a circle of discussions, which for me belittles a very great tragedy of our country”.