Greek centre-right politician sacked after attacking worker at airport

4 months ago 35

Greece’s former minister of agriculture Lefteris Avgenakis has been sacked from the ruling New Democracy party (EPP) after a video circulated on social media showed him attacking an airport worker in Athens.

The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, still reeling from poorer-than-expected results of his party in the EU elections, referred Avgenakis to the party’s ethics committee on Wednesday (3 July) with a request for his expulsion.

The committee ratified the prime minister’s proposal and Avgenakis has been removed from New Democracy’s parliamentary group.

The video that triggered strong reactions in Athens shows Avgenakis attacking an airport worker outside a gate at Athens airport.

According to the Federation of Associations of Employees in Services and Commerce (OSEFPE), the Greek politician was travelling from Athens to Crete but confused the gates.

By the time he found the right one, the boarding had finished and the gate was closed. He then put pressure on the employee at the gate to allow him onto the plane.

The video shows the employee speaking on the phone when the politician suddenly grabs it forcefully from his hands. Shocked by the incident, the employee left his desk.

In a statement, Avgenakis admitted there was an incident of “verbal tension” with an employee who did not allow him to board, “claiming that boarding had been completed”.

The former minister then apologised for the incident but insisted he had only tried to speak to the employee’s line manager. He also said he would not give up his parliamentary seat.

New headaches for Mitsotakis

Social media were quickly flooded with angry comments about the former minister’s behaviour, with many criticising the protection Greek politicians enjoy thanks to their parliamentary immunity.

Last March, the EU’s Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi sent a letter to the European Commission warning that the Greek politicians’ immunity provision in the Constitution must change.

The incident adds to the ongoing turmoil in Greek politics after June’s EU elections, in which Greek citizens turned their back on the political system, with an all-time high abstention.

The ruling New Democracy lost one million votes compared to the last legislative elections in July 2023, causing tension in its ranks.

Greece’s centre-right wins but with heavy losses

Greece’s centre-right ruling New Democracy party (EPP) won the elections but lost more than one million votes compared to the national elections last year, while the opposition could not catch up.

To appease the conservative voters, Mitsotakis reshuffled the government, dropping Avgenakis from the cabinet, but tensions de-escalated only briefly, even though New Democracy remains dominant in Greek politics in the face of a largely fragmented opposition.

Speaking at an event earlier this week, two former New Democracy leaders and ex-prime ministers, Kostas Karamanlis and Antonis Samaras, lashed out against decisions made by the current leadership.

Samaras said the EU elections were a “big slap” and criticised Mitsotakis’ openness to a dialogue with neighbouring Turkey.

Karamanlis noted that not everything in politics is about political communication, which analysts took as a clear hint against Mitsotakis personally.

Greek media described their comments as critical, considering that they both represent influential factions in the ruling party.

[Sarantis Michalopoulos / Edited by Zoran Radosavljević]