Independent MP since yesterday afternoon is Chania MP Pavlos Polakis, as his verbal attack on a staff member of Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis resulted in his expulsion from the SYRIZA Parliamentary Group, dramatically changing the agenda and dynamics within the main opposition.

The Timeline of the Expulsion

Minutes before the scheduled meeting of the party’s Parliamentary Group yesterday, nothing predicted the storm that was to follow until Mr. Polakis took the floor at the Parliamentary Social Affairs Committee and made an unprovoked attack on Adonis Georgiadis’s staff member with derogatory remarks.

Specifically, the Chania MP addressed Georgiadis’s staff member, Ms. Petroulia, saying, “Don’t twist your face, madam. I’m telling you, you have a permanent, not a smile, but a twist of the mouth in a form of disdain. It’s irritating. You have a lady staff member of the minister who has a permanent disdainful facial twist. It’s irritating to see it.”

Parliament: Polakis’s Bullying of Georgiadis’s Staff Member

Those present in the room defended Mr. Georgiadis’s staff member – in fact, Mr. Vartziopoulos shouted that the woman had a health problem. But the reaction of SYRIZA MP Athena Linou was particularly shocking, as she, stunned by the attack from her colleague, started crying, as did Georgiadis’s staff member. “I want to personally apologize to the colleague who suffered this form of violence, and I think we cannot allow such behavior, regardless of who it comes from, to any woman or any person,” Ms. Linou said.

Thanasios Papathanasis commented, “This behavior is inconsistent with the environment we are in. Politically we might have differences, but above all is respect for others.” The MP from Plefsi Eleftherias, Spyros Bibilas, also intervened, saying: “It is unacceptable to insult a lady in this way. We don’t want this line to be crossed in Parliament. It has happened repeatedly, and I am disappointed. The ladies Konstantopoulou and Akrida have been insulted. We in Plefsi Eleftherias disagree; no MP should insult anyone, especially women. It’s neither democratic nor proper.”

The incident quickly became known, and SYRIZA MPs, who learned about it just before the start of the Parliamentary Group meeting, did not hide their displeasure, as they were annoyed by the fact that once again they found themselves “apologizing,” as they commented, for Pavlos Polakis’s behavior.

The atmosphere was heavy also in the office of the SYRIZA president in Parliament, where Stefanos Kasselakis was in a meeting with his close aides, who informed him about the incident. Kasselakis then requested to see the video of Pavlos Polakis’s intervention, and the minutes for his expulsion from the SYRIZA Parliamentary Group began to tick. At the same time, the President of the Parliament, Kostas Tasoulas, was informed about the incident and began to address the plenary session to announce the disciplinary measures against Mr. Polakis, while SYRIZA simultaneously issued a statement expelling the Chania MP from the Parliamentary Group.

Statement by Konstantinos Tasoulas

SYRIZA’s Statement

“Following a proposal by the party president, Stefanos Kasselakis, Pavlos Polakis is expelled from the SYRIZA-PS Parliamentary Group by the president of the Parliamentary Group, Sokhratis Famellos.” Famellos spoke as the President of the SYRIZA PS Parliamentary Group immediately after Mr. Tasoulas, personally condemning the incident and on behalf of the party’s MPs present in the room.

Show and Implications

There was turmoil and movement in the corridors of Parliament as Pavlos Polakis attempted, unsuccessfully, to address the Plenary and to meet with the President of the body, Kostas Tasoulas, asking for clarifications regarding his salary cut. Although he achieved neither, Mr. Polakis did not hide his displeasure with the development, saying, “A penalty should have been imposed on the ministers’ staff who mock the speaker. I would do it again,” in a conversation with journalists.

A Genuine Exponent of SYRIZA

Meanwhile, SYRIZA PS MPs watched awkwardly, awaiting the start of the Parliamentary Group meeting, with some of them having entered the Senate chamber. At that moment, Pavlos Polakis tried to speak to his colleagues, although Sokhratis Famellos pointed out that he no longer belonged to the body, with Mr. Polakis responding that “I was, I am, and I will be SYRIZA,” concluding with “You are looking at the finger and not the moon.”

After all this, and while Mr. Polakis had left without communicating with Mr. Kasselakis about his expulsion, the SYRIZA president arrived in the room and addressed the Parliamentary Group of the party, avoiding directly naming Mr. Polakis and not going into detail about the incident. “There is no room for tactical maneuvers and individual agendas,” Mr. Kasselakis noted, adding that “there is no one infallible among us, but I am sure, otherwise I would not be president of this party, that there is no one deceitful.”

Divided MPs

It seems, however, that Stefanos Kasselakis’s choice not to give more prominence to the fact displeased several MPs, first and foremost Deputy Coordinator of the Parliamentary Group, Rallia Christidou, who, visibly emotional, unequivocally supported Mr. Polakis. “I would have expected to hear a word in the presidents’ speeches about Polakis’s expulsion,” Ms. Christidou is reported to have commented, adding that Polakis is not “comme il faut,” but what did he say that was more wrong than what he had said before and was not expelled.

The MP for Viotia, Giota Poulou, is also reported to have expressed her concern, as she would have problems returning to her constituency after Polakis’s expulsion due to the Chania MP’s popularity. Andreas Panagiotopoulos is said to have also taken a stance against the ND, accusing the government party of often igniting the fuse.

Nevertheless, most MPs applauded Simeon Kedikoglou, who offered harsh criticism on a range of issues, starting from the pre-election period, as he reportedly described the electoral bar as arbitrarily high and then folding, emphasizing the credibility deficit. Mr. Kedikoglou also focused on Mr. Kasselakis’s posting from the US and the contempt for the party’s MPs, who are surprised by the leadership’s decisions. He pointed out that the issue with the “black funds” had caused damage, and questioned how it was determined that Mr. Kasselakis would not speak at the Thessaloniki International Fair.

Critical of the Deconstruction of SYRIZA’s Government Past

Former Minister Nikos Pappas also appeared critical of the deconstruction of SYRIZA PS’s government past, reportedly requesting that negative references to the party’s past be avoided publicly, and also referring to SYRIZA PS’s statement against Giannis Dragasakis. Elena Akrita is reported to have also condemned the statement as unacceptable and called for everyone to work collectively, as the party appears to be disbanded. She showed a willingness for further contribution by MPs to the party with terms of accountability, while no one leaves, she is reported to have commented, in light of what was said at the last Parliamentary Group meeting. Christos Giannoulis also criticized Pavlos Polakis, highlighting the need for always great caution and self-restraint.

In the absence of Olga Gerovasili, the burden of the position on behalf of the “87” was carried by Katerina Notopoulou, who reportedly emphasized that everything was done to avoid discussing the election result, referring to posts, pre-registrations, and targetings, internal enemies, and divisions, while she reminded that if Polakis’s behavior had been condemned by the Political Secretariat, as the “8” had suggested, things would not have reached this point.

Avoiding any mention of Mr. Polakis’s expulsion, Sokhratis Famellos referred to the party’s finances, announcing a special meeting in September, while several Kasselakis supporters were reserved in their comments, avoiding commenting on the stormy developments.

“Polakis Belongs to SYRIZA”

At the same time as the Parliamentary Group meeting, which lasted over four hours, Mr. Polakis was active on social networks, responding to his followers and SYRIZA about his expulsion. Unrepentant about the incident, he commented, “As time goes by, it becomes more apparent the setup with the fake tears and the ‘apology’ from Linou who gave the pass both inside and outside. NO ONE CAN ASK FOR FORGIVENESS FOR ME!” among other comments, amassing thousands of endorsements on his social media account, a response that did not go unnoticed by SYRIZA MPs and primarily by Koumoundourou.

Although the sexist attack on Maria Syreggela amounted to a “yellow card” against the Chania MP, counting down to his expulsion at the next mistake, the SYRIZA PS President in his second speech appeared full of… love for his once most ardent internal supporter, saying that “Pavlos belongs to SYRIZA,” a statement interpreted as a signal of the Chania MP’s continued presence in the party. After all, Mr. Kasselakis signed as a “member”